


Infatuated

by bleedreid



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, smut warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-27
Updated: 2017-03-16
Packaged: 2018-09-27 07:47:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 31,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9983828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bleedreid/pseuds/bleedreid
Summary: He wasn't in love. No, of course not. He had just met the girl. But it was also more than a crush. Spencer Reid had lived his whole life without thinking much about love. In fact, he had already accepted the fact that he'd never get married. That is, until the BAU decided to add an eighth member to their team. Now Spencer finds himself unable to form proper sentences and constantly blushing while in presence of the newest agent. He does everything in his power to hide his feelings, which isn't easy when all his friends are profilers.





	1. I

_"Individuals make impressions and judgements about people very quickly, very easily, and with very minimal information. And once those judgements are made, they tend to be hard to undo. They're quite sticky." -Dr. Vivian Zayas_

 

Spencer waited in the passenger seat as JJ dropped Henry off at school. Monday's and Thursday's were her days to drop him off and today happened to be a Monday. She made it a habit of picking Reid up on the way so he wouldn't have to take the subway. She claimed he was going to get robbed one of these days.

"Will is so much better at this," JJ said as she climbed back into the driver's seat. She quickly pulled her seat belt across her chest and started the car.

"Why?" Reid asked as he looked out the window at the multitude of children walking to school. "Isn't Henry a momma's boy?" He asked while he turned to face her.

"Exactly, Spence! That's why it's so hard to get him to go inside, he doesn't wanna let go of me!" she said in an overdramatic way while pulling out of the school parking lot. Reid turned his attention back to the window, taking in all the reds and oranges of the autumn leaves. Quantico was beautiful this time of year. It was a shame that they only got to experience it at small moments like this while on the way to their incredibly stressful job. JJ turned again to park at the FBI building. She managed to sneak into a spot close to the doors which was a rare occurrence.

"I don't know, JJ, maybe you shouldn't complain about your son loving you. Things could be a lot worse," Spencer teased as he gathered his messenger bag and coffee and let himself out of her car. JJ walked around from her side and nudged into him. They laughed as they walked into the building together, making their way to the elevator and pressing the button for their floor. 

"Did you hear about the new agent?" JJ finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah," Reid said, remembering how Hotch had told them they'd be getting a new addition to the team. He personally didn't think they needed another member but Hotch seemed adamant about it. The elevator bell dinged and the doors opened. JJ and Reid walked into the BAU department and were quickly met by a small woman with dark hair.

"Hey, Em! Is the newbie here yet?" JJ asked as she put her belongings down on her desk. Reid looked over at Emily, hoping she had some more information than he did.

 "Not that I know of," Prentiss said with a sigh. It had been a while since they got a new member so the anticipation was killing all of them. They each sat down at their desks and began looking through the files that would consume most of our day.

 

 

About thirty minutes into the day, Hotch called everyone into the briefing room. Reid was the last one to enter and sat down in his usual spot next to Derek.

"Hey pretty boy," Morgan said when he noticed him enter the room. Reid gave him a quick nod of hello as he adjusted himself in his seat. Hotch stood in the front and was about to speak when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Hotch said in his usual monotone voice.

In walked a small girl with long, dark brown hair and wide green eyes. One would say 'girl' because she couldn't be more than 20 years old. She wore a white collared shirt with a pocket on the breast and a suede knee-length skirt, topped off with 2-inch black heels. She was slightly over dressed for the BAU, but they all had dressed like that on their first day.

"Ah yes," Hotch said, extending his hand out to the new girl. "You must be Agent Hopkins, it's nice to finally meet you."

"Call me Belle," the brunette said as she shook his hand. Although he towered over her, she didn't look the least bit intimidated. Brave, Reid thought to himself.

"Belle it is. I'm Aaron Hotchner, but everyone here calls me Hotch. Let me introduce you to the team," he said as they all stood up to greet the new member. 

"This is Agent Derek Morgan," Hotch said while pointing to Morgan. Belle shook his hand while smiling.

"Hey lil mama," Derek said, causing the girl to giggle and look down at her feet.

"Next is Agent Jennifer Jareau," Hotch said. Belle stuck her hand out to meet JJ's.

"JJ," she said with a bright smile. Belle nodded as they shook hands. Hotch then began pointing to Reid.

"This is our genius of the team, Dr. Spencer Reid," he said. Spencer blushed lightly at the use of the word genius. Belle held her hand out and he stared down at it. They stood like that for a few seconds until realization struck her that he wasn't going to shake it. It's just something that he didn't do.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said while retracting her hand. The genuine smile on her face let Reid know that she wasn't offended by his lack of physical contact.

"You too," was all he said. It wasn't because she was pretty, because hell, she was. He had social anxiety meeting new people, regardless of what they looked like. The small dimples that fell upon her cheeks when she smiled at him may have had an impact on his nerves, but that went unnoticed by the rest of the team. They already knew his quirks, so they didn't question it.

Hotch quickly introduced Belle to Prentiss and Rossi before turning to Garcia.

"And finally, this is our computer analyst, Penelope Garcia. She'll get you anything you need during a case, just ask," Hotch said as Penelope practically leaped out of her chair.

"It's so nice to finally meet you! I've heard so much about you. Well, more like I read so much about you while I stalked your file, but that's beside the point! Anyways, you're just as adorable as I expected! Are you an Isabella or an Annabella-"

"Slow down, baby girl. Let the girl breathe," Morgan chuckled as he noticed Belle turning blue from the hug she was engulfed in. Penelope quickly let her go.

"Oh, sorry! I'm just so excited to have another girl around here!" Penelope exclaimed as Belle giggled at all the attention.

"Don't worry about it, it's nice to meet you, too! And I'm just Belle, nothing fancy," she said in a shy tone while a small dust of pink spread across her cheeks.

"Ooh, short and to the point, I like it," Penelope said as she smiled at the young agent in front of her. Belle giggled again, which caused the whole team to smile. The sound could be described as nothing short of adorable. It was refreshing to have someone younger on the team. Until now, Reid had been the youngest, and the team was starting to show their age. He would never tell Hotch and Rossi this, but they did occasionally refer to them as the grandpas of the BAU. They would need younger members to eventually fill in when those two got too old for the job. Although it was hard letting new people into the little family, Reid could already tell that Belle was going to fit in.

"Where'd you get that necklace? It's lovely," Emily asked as they all took their seats again. Belle sat next to Spencer, which made the heat on his cheeks return. he wasn't used to being this close to a beautiful woman. Of course, JJ, Emily, and Penelope were all beautiful, but they were older than him and he just didn't see them in that way. He was comfortable around those three. Belle, however, was new and it caused discomfort on his part. Not a bad discomfort, though. He already found himself wanting to get to know her better. It was more of a nervousness that overtook him.

The slight tinge of what Reid assumed was Belle's perfume broke him out of his thoughts. She smelled like a mix of peppermint and something that he couldn't quite place. Whatever the fragrance was, it reminded him of one of his only good childhood memories; Christmas mornings with his mother. Reid was about to be bold and tell her she smelled nice when he was interrupted.

"My boyfriend gave it to me, isn't it beautiful?" Belle answered as she held up a tiny rose-gold pendant in the shape of a heart that was attached to the chain around her neck with a smile plastered on her face. 

Spencer closed his previously opened mouth and turned back to the file in front of him.


	2. II

_“This is going to sound crazy, but... from the moment I first set eyes on you I haven't been able to stop thinking about you.”  -Leigh Fallon_

 

3 months.

That's how long it'd been since Belle Hopkins had joined the BAU and turned Spencer's life completely upside down. He could never tell her that though, because she had a boyfriend.

And because she was everything and he was nothing. She was so small and delicate, yet so strong and capable at the same time. Everything she did was done with such grace that he would find himself laying awake at night wondering how it was possible for a person to so closely resemble a flower. She had quickly made a name for herself in the FBI because along with her beauty, she also held knowledge that made even Reid think twice about certain things. The women on the team took her under their wing almost immediately, inviting her to their Friday evening girls nights and putting her in their text group chat. They looked at her as a little sister because of her youth, but never treated her as such, because her independence and wisdom were well beyond her years. They'd take care of her in the way that they'd take care of each other, but they'd never baby her.

She became friends with Rossi and Morgan almost as quickly as she had with the girls. Morgan joked around with her with the same type of ease that he did with Penelope. Reid knew Morgan would never look at her as anything more than a friend, but he still found himself filled with jealousy every time he called her "Tinker-Belle" or "Small Stuff". Everyone could tell that Hotch liked her, too. He'd been smiling a lot more in the past three months than he had been in the years that Reid had been here.

Belle had that effect on people. She could make you smile on days when you had every reason not to. Just her presence alone could give you the extra push you needed to get through the day. She didn't have to say a word to make you feel better. But when she did speak, it was like listening to classical music on a drizzly day. Her voice was the purest velvet and she spoke with such joy and intelligence that Reid often found himself getting lost in her words. It was easy to get lost when around Belle.

But, she was all that, and Spencer was... Spencer. Plus, she had a boyfriend. A boyfriend who she called everyday during lunch just to tell him she loved him. A boyfriend who she owned a cat with, who was named after their favorite hockey player. A boyfriend who got to kiss her soft cheek and hold her every night, while Spencer hadn't even worked up the courage to touch her. 

Since that day back in September when Belle first arrived at the BAU and he had rejected her handshake, he still hadn't touched any part of her. You could tell that she respected his need for personal space, but god, he didn't want it. Reid wanted to be around her all the time. To sit next to her on the jet and to let her fall asleep on his shoulder when they had far away cases. But, he had screwed up on her first day and now she rarely came near him.

They were still friends, though. She always made sure of that. She would try to include him in conversations when the whole team was talking about something that he clearly had no experience with. She would always listen to him ramble off statistics and would shush anyone who groaned when it seemed he would never stop. She even learned his coffee order for the early mornings when she'd go to Starbucks before work and get something for everyone. Like he said, she was everything and Reid was nothing.

 

 

"Briefing room in 10 minutes," JJ's voice woke Spencer up from the nap that he didn't know he was taking. This was the third time this week that he'd fallen asleep at his desk. He hadn't been sleeping much lately.

"Are you okay?" Derek asked as they walked to the briefing room together. Reid shrugged him off and went to his seat even though he knew he wasn't convincing him.

"Fine, don't tell me, but you know I'm here if you need me, right?" He said while taking the seat next to Reid.

Spencer sighed.

"I know, thanks Morgan," he said genuinely. He meant it, he really did. Reid appreciated the way Derek looked after him, especially since he knew he had problems with sleeping in the past. But how was Reid suppose to tell him he wasn't sleeping well because he was completely distracted by thoughts of one of their coworkers? He couldn't.

Hotch stopped Reid's thoughts from wandering further onto Belle when he walked into the room to begin briefing them on the new case. 

"As you've probably heard on the news by now, there's a local pilot killing innocent families right here in Virginia. Lucky for us, that means we won't be flying anywhere. Garcia has more details for us," he said as he took the seat next to Rossi.

"Right, here we go," Penelope said as she made her way to the front of the room. She clicked her little button and a picture of a caucasian family popped up on the screen.

"Fitzgerald family; Michael, Ruth, Taylor, and Winnie; all killed while on a private air tour this weekend. This is the fourth family to be killed in this way. Apparently, the pilot convinces them to go on a tour of the city in his aircraft, but, here's where it gets weird. Once in the air, the pilot jumps ship with a parachute and leaves the family to fend for themselves. As you can see, none have done very well on their own. Kinda messed up if you ask me," she finished as she pressed the button again, causing a picture of the remnants of an airplane to show up.

"What the fuck," Belle whispered as they all took in the picture in front of them. What type of person continuously crashes planes for fun?

"Yeah, I know," Penelope started. "What we know so far is that all the families have been families of four. One mom, one dad, one son, and one daughter. All from Virginia, and all seemingly happy."

"Do they know where he's getting these planes?" JJ asked, looking up at Penelope.

"Nope, local PD hasn't figured that out yet. And because of the gruesome crashes-"

"All the evidence was burned," Reid finished for her. This was definitely not like most of their cases.

 

 

The team pulled up to the local police station in two black SUV's. Hotch shook hands with the man in charge and gave everyone their orders.

"JJ and Morgan, I need you here with me. Rossi, go with Emily to the Fitzgerald's house. Reid and Hopkins, make your way to the local airport and see if you can find anything."

They all nodded and went their separate ways. Reid let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as he climbed into the SUV with Belle. 

"Reid?" she said quietly from the drivers seat. Spencer looked up at her in confusion.

"This is embarrassing, but can you drive instead? I'm not from here so I don't know where I'm going," Belle said without making eye contact with him. He could tell she was genuinely embarrassed.

"Yeah," he said as he unbuckled and opened the door. He made his way around the car to the drivers side as she was getting out.

"Thanks," she mumbled as she hopped to the ground. The SUV's they had made her seem even smaller than she was.

Reid got into the drivers seat as Belle scooted around the car. He watched as she effortlessly jumped into the car and reached for her seatbelt. Once she was buckled, she turned to look at him. He couldn't help but stare at the way her hair clung to her face from being blown around by the crisp winter air.

"Reid?" she asked for the second time.

"Yeah?" He said, staring into her green eyes.

"Are you gonna start the car?" she asked, a slight grin appearing on her face.

"Oh, right," he mumbled as he felt his face turn bright red. He turned his gaze to the road ahead of them as he started the ignition and put the car in drive. 

He didn't look at Belle the rest of the way to the airport, though he could feel her eyes occasionally falling upon his still blushing face.


	3. III

_"I'm always impressed by confidence, kindness and a sense of humor." -Tamara Mellon_

 

"You know," Belle declared as they got out of the SUV. They made their way into the local airport and searched for any type of law enforcement official. The hustle of travelers and their luggage surrounded them, creating a hectic atmosphere. "I always wondered if your name was Reid cause you can read fast," she finished with a raise of her voice so he could hear her over the crowd.

Reid felt the corners of his mouth tug into a grin. His friends often made different puns with his name, but this one actually made him laugh.

"That's a new one," he said, trying not to show her his amusement. He knew she saw through him, though, because her eyes immediately lit up at the realization that she got him to laugh at her joke.

She walked ahead of Reid, smiling to herself. Spencer stood there watching her for a second before scurrying to catch up. This is how his life had been for three months now. Belle doing something that took his breath away and him trying his hardest to catch up to her. 

 

 

"Hi officer, my name is Agent Belle Hopkins and this is my partner, Dr. Reid. We're from the FBI, looking for any information you may have on the recent plane crashes," Belle said, holding her hand out to greet an older man in an airport security uniform. Spencer felt himself blushing at the use of the word 'partner'. 

"Of course, follow me," the man said after shaking Belle's tiny hand. They followed him to a side room with a bunch of computers all across the walls.

"Would you mind if we asked you a few questions?" Reid asked, trying his hardest to keep his eyes off of Belle as she leaned over to look at a computer screen that just so happened to be placed near the floor. The curve of her body from the angle she was at made his breath hitch in his throat.

"No, go ahead, I'll do anything to help," the man said, giving Reid a sympathetic look. Spencer hated making eye contact with people, but he stared directly into the man's eyes. Anything to distract himself from Belle's absent-minded teasing.

"G-good," Reid said, clearing his throat. "Does this airport have any smaller aircrafts, most likely a Cessna model?" He asked the older man.

"Not that I know of. Although, the back hanger has some emergency planes which could be where that crazy man is getting them from," he said, emphasizing the word crazy.

"Right, we'll check that out," Reid started.

"No we won't," Belle said while staring down at her phone. "Morgan says they have a suspect in custody and wants us back asap."

 

 

"Why did you do it, Tristan? Was it because you knew you'd never have a family of your own? So you had to take that away from others?" Rossi demanded while hovering over the suspect. The rest of the team looked on from behind the two-way mirror.

"I'm telling you, I don't know what you're talking about," the man, now known as Tristan, fired back.

"Do you know these people?" Rossi asked, slamming down a picture of the latest victims on the table in front of him. Tristan stared at the picture for a minute, picking it up to get a closer look.

"No, I swear to you, I don't even know any red heads, so how would I know these people," Tristan said, putting the picture back on the table. Rossi turned to look back at the rest of the team with a confused look on his face. None of the people in the picture had red hair. This guy was crazy.

"If you're trying to confuse me and get out of this, it's not gonna work," Rossi said, getting angrier by the second.

"Fuck," Belle said, grabbing her phone out of her pocket. She certainly had a dirty mouth for such an elegant woman.

"What?" Emily said, turning to face Belle.

"Garcia, I need you to look up if this Tristan guy is colorblind. Medical documents, school records, whatever," Belle spoke into the phone. There was a pause before she said "Ok, thanks."

Belle practically ran to the door of the interrogation room and grabbed the handle. She flew the door open, nearly giving Rossi a heart attack.

"I'm not done with him yet," Rossi said, moving towards Belle in order to usher her out. 

"He's not our guy," Belle firmly stated, standing her ground.

"How do you know?" Rossi asked, tilting his head to the side to look at her quizzically. 

"He's colorblind. We have the wrong guy," Belle said, stepping forward.

"What does that have to do with this?" Rossi asked in a genuine manner. It's not that he didn't believe Belle, he just didn't understand.

"You can't be a pilot if you're colorblind. Garcia looked into his background and he's completely blind to all color. He only sees black and white with occasional hints of red," she announced as she walked around to the back of Tristan's chair and started releasing his handcuffs.

"Wow," was all Rossi could say. He tried to hide the smile on his face, but they all knew he was proud of Belle. He looked to her as the daughter he never had and every time she was successful in solving a case, he was the first to congratulate her.

Reid felt a poke in the side of his stomach. He looked to his left to see JJ smirking at him.

"What?" He asked, puzzled at her childish action.

"You're smiling," she said, still smirking.

"No I'm not," Reid tried to play it off. He was definitely smiling.

"You so are! You're just impressed by your girlfrieenndd," she said, drawing out the last syllable.

"She's not my girlfriend!" He yelled a little louder than intended. JJ continued to smile in a way that made Spencer's face turn red.

"Spence has a little crush, aww!" JJ teased, poking his side again. He could feel his face getting brighter by the minute.

"No, I don't. I just think she's smart, okay?" Reid said, looking back up at Belle as she patted Tristan's back and apologized to him for the hundredth time.

"Whatever you say," JJ said, clearly unconvinced. Reid turned his head so she couldn't see him in his embarrassed state anymore and walked back to the lobby area to get another coffee.

She was right, after all.  


	4. IV

_“At the first kiss I felt something melt inside me that hurt in an exquisite way. All my longings, all my dreams and sweet anguish, All the secrets that slept deep within me came awake, Everything was transformed and enchanted, everything made sense.” -Hermann Hesse_

 

  
It only took about 24 hours after the release of Tristan to find the real unsub. Thanks to Belle's quick thinking, the team was able to let an innocent man go and focus on the actual criminal at hand. Belle also caught the real unsub when they raided his house. It happened to be Belle's first time making the actual arrest, so the team decided to take her out to celebrate afterwards.

"Drinks on me," Rossi announced as the eight of them walked into the local bar down the street from their building. He hurried off to order drinks while the rest of them got settled across a table near the dart board.

"Congrats on your first arrest, kid," Morgan said as he patted Belle on the back. Although it was only in a friendly way, it still made Reid tense up.

"Thanks Morgy," Belle said while blushing profusely. She didn't like having all the attention on her.

"I remember my first arrest," Emily chimed in as she took off her coat and sat down next to Belle.

"And what country was that in?" Hotch asked with a serious look on his face that quickly turned to a smirk when Emily scoffed at his comment. He was right, though, she did move around a lot. Everyone laughed, mainly because it was so unlike Hotch to make jokes at the team's expense. 

"Beers for everyone!" Rossi exclaimed as he set down a handful of bottles on the table. Belle politely shook her head and mouthed 'no thank you.'

"C'mon, you have to drink, it's _your_  night!" Rossi said to Belle, holding up a bottle.

"I can't," Belle said, looking up at the man. The team all turned to face her in confusion.

"You guys, she's not legal..." Penelope finally spoke up. It hadn't dawned on any of them that Belle was, in fact, underage. She drank wine at their BAU Halloween party, but that wasn't in public, so it didn't really matter.

"We're so taking you out when you turn 21," JJ said before she downed her first drink of the night.

"Deal," Belle said with a smile.                                        

 

 

 

Reid looked at his watch and it was nearly midnight. The entire team, besides Belle and himself, were completely trashed. He was drinking, but not nearly as much as the others. You could say he was tipsy.

"Will can drive us home," JJ slurred as she finished off yet another beer. Reid helped her get down from the stool she was sitting on and handed her jacket to her.

"Thanks Spence," she said before wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling him into a drunken hug. "You're the best."

"Oh my god," Belle laughed from beside them as she took in the sight of her intoxicated coworkers. 

"Aren't you excited to party with us next year when you're legal?" Penelope asked as she stumbled off of her chair.

"Oh definitely," Belle said with sarcasm laced between her words. "I'm just gonna walk home I think cause I don't wanna stick around for you guys to get kicked out." 

"Wait," Reid said, putting his hand on her shoulder. He didn't know what he was doing until he was already in the motion.

"Hmm?" Belle hummed, looking up at him from beneath her long eyelashes.

"I, um, I'll walk you," he blurted out. This gained him a wide smile from Belle.

"Okay," she said.

  

 

 

"This is me," Belle said as they approached her apartment building. The number 11 was carved just above the door she had stopped in front of.

"I'll, uh, see you tomorrow then," Reid managed to mumble out as he looked down at her. They were only inches apart because of how small the hallway outside her apartment was.

"See you tomorrow," she said before reaching up and pulling him into a hug. Reid stood there for a moment before hugging her back. He felt as though he was on fire as he touched the small of her back. Her peppermint scent filled his lungs as he breathed in, his face tangled up in her waves of brunette hair. Holding her was just as he had imagined. Her petite body felt clung to his as she squeezed him tighter. After what felt like decades, she finally released him and backed up out of the hug; cheeks pinker than ever.

The mix of alcohol in his system and pure adrenaline caused Reid to lose his usual collected demeanor. Before he knew it, his lips were on hers. He cupped his hands around her cheeks and kissed her like she was an oasis and he was the desert. He needed her to take him out of his dry spout and bring life back into him. So he kissed her. And he kept kissing her, until he felt her beginning to kiss him back. Reid started to smile into her lips, praying that it wouldn't mess up the kiss. The moment was quickly ruined when something brushed up against their legs, causing them to part.

"Bobby!" Belle gasped, out of breath, as she looked down at her cat.

"Bobby," Reid repeated quietly, wishing the feline hadn't just interrupted the best moment of his life.

"What are you doing out here? Did Liam let you out?" she asked the cat as she picked him up. She quickly turned away from Spencer as she said her boyfriend's name out loud.

"Liam..." she whispered.

"I need to go," she said as she opened her door in one swift motion and let Bobby inside.

"I'll, uh, see you, um... I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" she said in a flustered tone, one Reid had never heard from her. With that, she shut her door and left him standing there.

That night, Spencer's body finally allowed for him to sleep.


	5. V

_"Addiction is tricky. For example: a man who quit smoking for 11 years spent 15 seconds in an elevator with a man smoking a cigarette. He gave in. What I'm trying to say is I think I love you again." -Unknown_

 

 

How could Belle have let this happen? How did she slip up so bad? She was finally getting over her crush on Reid and now it was all coming back.

Belle still remembered her first day at the BAU. She was immediately intrigued by the tall man with shaggy brown hair and hazel eyes who refused to shake her hand. She felt a certain pull from him and she knew she needed to get closer. Little did Belle know she would develop a massive crush on him.

She knew that emotional cheating was just as bad as regular cheating, and it tore her up inside that she had these feelings for Reid while she was dating Liam. Belle never thought he would feel any sort of attraction towards her, so she thought it wouldn't even matter. That's why she tried everything in her power to get over it. It was just a stupid crush, anyway.

But he kissed her.

He was drunk though, right? I mean, he only had two beers, but maybe he was a lightweight. He probably wouldn't even remember it in the morning.

The sound of Liam's keys turning the doorknob to their apartment broke Belle out of her thoughts. She pulled the sheets of their bed over her chest as she waited for him to put his stuff down and come lay with her.

"Hi babe," he said as he made his way into the bedroom.

"Hey," Belle whispered, unable to make eye contact.

"Everything okay?" he asked as he took his shoes off and slid into his side of the bed. Belle sighed before turning over to face away from him so he wouldn't see her frown.

"Just tired."

 

 

 

Belle juggled her keys and coffee as she rushed into the building and ran to catch the elevator before the doors closed. She was going to be late if she didn't hustle.

"Hold the door!" She yelled as the elevator doors began to slide together. A hand flew out at the last second to stop them.

"Thanks," Belle breathed as she stepped inside. Her eyes followed the hand up to its owner.

Reid.

"No problem," he said, shuffling over to give her plenty of space. They stood there in silence as the elevator began to move upwards. The doors opened on their floor and neither one of them moved.

"Spe-"

"You know we're gonna have to talk about it at some point," Spencer interrupted as he took a step forward.

"I know that," Belle said, looking down at the coffee in her hand. It was trembling ever so slightly.

Spencer's eyes fell down to the cup and then back up to her face. He paused where he stood before sighing.

"We're gonna be late," he said as he stepped out of the elevator and made his way to his desk.

Belle watched him put his messenger bag down on his desk and take off his winter coat, his soft curls getting tossed around from the movement.

Damn he was cute.

 

 

 

 

Belle had been avoiding Reid all day. Every time he walked into a room that she was already in, she'd make up some lame excuse to leave. When he went to Rossi's desk, which was adjacent to Belle's, to give him a file he had asked for, she quickly shoved her headphones into her ears so he wouldn't attempt to talk to her. Apparently, she didn't think Reid would notice that they weren't even plugged into her phone.

By the end of the day, Spencer had had enough. If she was going to reject him and tell him the kiss meant nothing, she could at least get it over with instead of running away from him all day. 

"Where's Belle?" Reid asked Morgan with a slightly annoyed tone.

"I saw her go into Penelope's lair, why?"

Reid turned on his heels, completely ignoring Morgan's question. He practically marched into Penelope's computer room, causing both girls to jump. His eyes roamed from Penelope in her spinning chair, large blue glasses framing her face, to the small woman to her left, black mascara streaks running down her cheeks.

Belle had been crying.

"I, uh.. Wait, why are you crying?" Spencer asked, forgetting everything he had planned to say to her.

"I'm really sorry, boy genius, but now's really not the time," Penelope said, pointing at the door for him to go out of. He ignored her.

"Are you okay?" Reid asked, crouching down in front of Belle so he was at eye level with her.

"I'm fine," she managed to squeak out.

She clearly wasn't fine.

"I hate to do this to you Reid, but if you don't leave us alone I'm gonna hack into your computer and delete all of your pictures from the Doctor Who convention," Penelope said, pointing towards the door again.

"Belle, I-" 

"Go," Belle demanded while staring down at her hands in her lap. Spencer stood up and walked out, closing the door carefully. He leaned back against the door frame and stared blankly ahead, defeated.

                                               

 

 

 

Today had officially been the worst day of Belle's life. After her run-in with Reid in the elevator, she decided she had to tell Liam what had happened between them. Belle had never cheated on someone before and now she felt like shit. She'd been completely out of it for the past few weeks, purposely ignoring Liam's texts, sleeping over Emily's when he thought she was actually still on a case, and forgetting to say 'I love you' back. But, none of that meant he deserved to be cheated on. Belle knew she had to break up with him. She had known it for a while, too. It was still going to suck, though, because even though she had fallen out of love, she still deeply cared for the kid. Breaking his heart was not something she was looking forward to.

"Hey," Belle said as she heard the click on the other end of the phone, signaling that Liam had picked up.

"Hi baby," he said, making her stomach flip.

"Listen, um, we have to talk-"

"Is this about the doctor you work with?" Liam interrupted, sending her into utter panic.

"What?" Belle asked, trying to play it off like she didn't know what he was talking about.

"C'mon, Bells, I've known you for three years, so I know when something's up. You've been avoiding me lately. And don't think I haven't noticed the way you always jump at any chance to bring up that Reid guy whenever we have friends over. Or how you're always up late at night texting him," Liam said. So he didn't know about the kiss, but he definitely knew more than she thought he did.

"Oh my god, I'm so so sorry Liam," Belle choked out as she burst into tears. She was trying to discretely make her way to Penelope's office without causing any attention upon herself.

"Hey, shh, stop crying, it's okay. I don't want to be in a relationship with someone who doesn't want to be with me anymore. I love you, Belle, but really, if this is what you want, it's okay," Liam said, causing her to cry more.

"You don't deserve this at all Liam," She choked out in between sobs.

"Belle, please stop crying," Liam's voice wavered. He was on the verge of tears.

"I'm sorry, I just hate hurting you," Belle whispered so her voice wouldn't crack.

"I'm gonna hang up now so I can pack and be out of the apartment before you get back, but, please don't beat yourself up over this. It's okay, really. I'm gonna be okay," Liam said in the most comforting tone he could manage.

"O-okay, bye," Belle mumbled before clicking the end call button. She immediately turned to Penelope, who had been sitting patiently, waiting for her to finish.

"Come here, princess," she said, extending her arms out. Belle threw herself into her open arms and felt them wrap around her. She sobbed into Penelope's chest, getting her blouse completely soaked with make-up-infused tears. She rubbed gentle circles on Belle's back until she finally calmed herself down. Penelope pulled up a chair beside hers and let her sit. They sat there for a few moments in silence before the door flung open and jolted them both from their spots.

"I, uh.. Wait, why are you crying?" Belle looked up to see Reid in the doorway.

"I'm really sorry, boy genius, but now's really not the time," Penelope said, pointing at the door for him to leave.

"Are you okay?" Reid asked, crouching down in front of Belle so they were at eye level.

"I'm fine," Belle managed to squeak out with a shaky breath.

"I hate to do this to you Reid, but if you don't leave us alone I'm gonna hack into your computer and delete all of your pictures from the Doctor Who convention," Penelope said, pointing towards the door again.

"Belle, I-"

"Go," she said firmly while staring down at her chipped nail polish. With that, Reid stood up and walked out, closing the door carefully. Belle felt bad for yelling at him when he was only trying to help, but he was the last person she wanted to see right now.

"Everything's gonna be okay, I promise," Penelope assured her, taking Belle's hand in hers.


	6. VI

_"He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same" -Emily Bronte_

Belle sat with Penelope for the remainder of the day, filing stacks of papers for her in order to distract herself. Penelope loved talking, but she kept quiet for the most part. She knew Belle didn't want to talk. Her office was a sanction for anyone having a bad day; a place to escape for a little while, where no one would find you. If the team saw you go into Penelope's lair without an actual work reason, it meant you needed space. It was an unspoken rule that the team would leave each other alone if they were in Penelope's office.

Belle looked over her shoulder at the time on her computer screen.

8:03 PM.

"You should get going, Belle-Bottom. I'm sure a nice, hot bath and a good night's sleep will make you feel better," Penelope said with a sympathetic smile.

"You're right," she sighed. Belle took a deep breath before heading out the door.

She surveyed the room to make sure no one was still at their desks. It was late, after all, so they should have all been home by now. The room was completely empty except for a pile of folders scattered across Belle's desk and her Longchamp bag on her chair.

Belle quickly organized the files she had left into a messy pile and put her bag over her shoulder. She dug around for her keys and her phone, pressing the home button to see if she had any missed calls. Belle's eyes widened as she saw 7 missed calls and 26 messages.

Nobody ever texted her.

Except for-

 

**From Spence:**

**"Where are you?"**

 

Belle looked at the time it was sent.

4:37 PM.

She swiped down to the next one.

 

**From Spence:**

**"I shouldn't have barged into Penelope's office like that. I'm really sorry."**

 

Belle quickly scrolled through 5 more messages of Reid apologizing. She got to the next one and felt tears beginning to form again.

 

**From Spence:**

**"Listen I know you probably don't want to talk but please let me know you're okay?? Please answer."**

 

It was so typical of him to text her something like this. He didn't even know why she was upset, but he still wanted to make sure she was okay.

 

**To Spence:**

**"I'm ok"**

 

Belle erased and rewrote the message three times before pressing send and locking her phone. She didn't want to be short with him, but how could she explain what had happened over text? She had to let him know what went down in person.

 

 

 

Belle swore she was driving home to take a bath like Penelope had suggested, but the next thing she knew, she was standing in front of Reid's apartment. 

"This is so stupid, Belle," she whispered to herself before turning around and walking back to her car. He probably wouldn't want to see her right now.

But he liked her. He had kissed her just last night. And he had blown up her phone with calls and texts when he noticed she was upset.

He had to like her, right?

Belle forced herself to turn around again and marched back up to his door, knocking twice.

"But what if he doesn't," she said aloud to herself. What if he was just worried because he's a nice person? And what if he was drunk when he kissed her, and that's what he meant by 'we have to talk about it.' Maybe he wanted to clear things up and tell her she was nothing more than a friend.

Belle turned around again and started to walk to her car when she heard the apartment door open behind her.

"Belle?" Reid's groggy voice asked. Great, she had woken him up.

"I, uh.. I was just leaving, sorry, I made a mistake," Belle said without turning around to face him.

This was so embarrassing.

"Wait, Belle, stop. What are you doing here?" Reid asked, his voice getting closer. 

"I told you, I made a mistake," she said as she sped up, practically sprinting to her car. She managed to climb in and shut the door before Reid could get to her. 

"Belle!" She heard him say from outside the car. She turned the ignition on and put the car in drive, not looking back to meet Reid's eyes.

Spencer stood there in the cold as he watched Belle's car speed away. He immediately took his phone out of his pocket as he made his way back inside.

"Hello?" Belle's voice came out of the phone.

"What just happened?" He asked. He heard a deep sigh on the other side of the phone.

"I came to tell you that I broke up with Liam today and that's why I was crying-"

"Oh, Belle, I'm so sorry," Reid said, trying to sound as genuine as possible. Of course it broke his heart to see her cry, but the fact that it was because of her breakup didn't make him all too upset.

"But then I realized that that's weird, you know, me showing up just to tell you that-"

"Why is that weird?" He asked, beginning to panic.

Did she think he was weird?

"Because you said this morning you wanted to talk so I already know what you're gonna say. That you're sorry for kissing me and it won't happen again because you don't think of me that way. So I don't know what I was expec-"

"You're so stupid, Belle," Spencer interrupted.

"I'm... Excuse me?" she asked, clearly surprised by his sudden insult.

"You are. You're honestly really stupid if you think I was gonna say that. I'm so fucking into you, it's insane," Reid said, realizing how crazy he must sound.

"You're what?" Belle asked even though Spencer knew she heard him.

"You heard me. I like you, Belle. A lot, actually," he said, gaining more confidence by the second.

"Oh my god," Reid heard her whisper. They both said nothing for a few seconds.

"Say something," Spencer pleaded, now filled with doubt.

He thought she had liked him, too, but how should he know? Yes, he was a profiler, but it was different when it came to feelings like this. Girls were a complete mystery.

"I like you, a lot, too, Spence," she finally admitted. 

His heart warmed at the use of his nickname.


	7. VII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> smut!

****_"You'll need coffee shops and sunsets and road trips. Airplanes and passports and new songs and old songs, but people more than anything else. You will need other people and you will need to be that other person to someone else, a living, breathing, screaming invitation to believe better things." -Jamie Tworkowski_

 

It had been two weeks since Spencer and Belle had admitted they had feelings for each other. Two weeks filled with constant blushing when they would text each other little emojis during briefing sessions and small little touches when they were passing by one another. Spencer had reassured her that it was okay to take her time with getting over the break up. Even though she was relieved to no longer be with Liam, it still hurt, just like any breakup would. Everyone on the team was supportive and helped Belle out in whatever way they could. Hotch would even give her one less file to work on than everyone else.

Reid and Belle agreed to keep their relationship on the down low, at least until things got straightened out. It wasn't hard to hide their feelings because the past two weeks had been filled with case after case.

Every time they got back to Quantico, Penelope would call them in again for another trip to some far-away state where someone was on a murder spree.

The team was finally on their way home from Idaho for a much needed long weekend. Everyone was in their usual spots on the jet and the lights were dimmed. 

Belle looked around to each member of the team to see if they were asleep; they were. She smirked to herself, seeing this as an opportunity to finally get the stress relief she so longingly needed.

She scooted out of her spot next to a sleeping JJ, making sure not to wake her. Belle tiptoed her way over to the couch that Reid was asleep on.

"Spence," she said, shaking him lightly. His eyelids began to flutter open.

"What?" he asked in his adorable morning voice.

"Follow me," Belle whispered, grabbing the sleeve of his shirt and pulling him into the small bathroom with her. She closed the door behind them and looked up at him.

"Why are we in the bathroom, Belle?" Reid asked, still half asleep.

"Don't you wanna join the mile-high club?" She asked innocently while taking his tie in her hand. His eyes widened when he realized what she meant.

"Belle, I- But, our team. Our team is right out there," he said as his body betrayed him. Belle smiled as she saw his pants tightening. 

"They're asleep, Spence," she whispered, moving closer to him so that her mouth was inches from his. Belle titled her head to let her warm breath fall upon his exposed neck.

That must have done it for him because next thing she knew, his hand were pulling her shirt up and over her head.

"There's my boy," Belle laughed, putting her hands on the waistline of his pants. He took his own shirt off while she made quick work of his belt.

"We have to be quick though," Spence groaned as she pulled his pants down, releasing his already hard member. 

"That definitely won't be a problem," Belle said, feeling herself getting wetter by the second. 

Reid put his hand around her back in order to unclasp her bra. She heard him suck in a hard breath as she pulled the straps off.

"Fuck," Reid said, eyeing her bare chest. He dipped his head down and began placing warm, wet kisses everywhere except for the center, which was making her even hornier.

"Spence," Belle mumbled as she locked her fingers in his hair and pushed his head down so his mouth was on her nipple. She felt him smile against her skin before taking it in his mouth and sucking.

Belle moaned loudly.

"God, Spence," she said as his tongue flicked against her very erect nipple while his thumb rubbed circles on the opposite one.

Belle whined as he moved his mouth away from her chest. He saw her pout and smiled before placing his lips on hers.

As he kissed her, his hands went down to her pants and began tugging them off. She felt them pool around her ankles, quickly followed by her thong.

Belle stood back and looked him up and down. They were both naked and just standing there, taking each other in. Belle bit her lip as she looked at his happy trail.

"What the fuck is that?" Reid hissed as he took a step closer to her.

"What?" Belle asked, suddenly insecure.

"That bellybutton ring," he said, pointing down to her naval where a small turquoise piercing hung.

"Oh, that," Belle giggled. She had forgotten that she had her bellybutton pierced because it was years ago.

"That's so fucking hot," Reid said before grabbing her hands and placing them around his neck. He picked her up so that they were at eye level.

"Ready?" he whispered, looking into her eyes. Belle nodded in approval before he slowly slid into her.

He stopped once he was fully in so that she could adjust herself. She moved her hips until she was comfortable and then placed a small kiss on his lips. He took this as a sign of permission and began pumping in and out.

"You feel amazing," he groaned against Belle's ear before nipping at the skin of her neck. She felt goosebumps form on every part of her body.

"I've wanted this for so long," Belle moaned as she let her head fall back in pleasure. The fact that they were in a plane, with a group of people just outside, along with the fact that it was Reid who was touching her, made everything ten times hotter.

"Your moaning alone is gonna make me cum," Spence breathed while bouncing her up and down against his hips.

Belle could feel her orgasm building up in her stomach already.

"Fuck, Spence, I'm gonna cum," she moaned as she tugged on his hair. She knew he was just as close by the way his movements became faster and sloppier. His thrusts became more rapid and Belle felt herself shaking with the wave pleasure she was experiencing.

Belle felt her walls tense up as she came all over him, followed quickly by him doing the same.

She panted heavily as she leaned her face into the crook of his neck. They stayed like that for a few minutes, trying to catch their breath.

Reid pulled himself out as he placed her back onto the ground. Belle looked down and saw their white liquids sliding down her thighs. She looked back up to see Reid grinning.

"That's not a bad sight," he said as he reached for a towel to clean her up. She playfully smacked his chest.

"I hope no one heard us," Belle said, thinking about how she'd have to transfer to Uganda if anyone ever found out about this.

"I don't know, you were kinda loud," Reid teased.

Belle hit him again.

"No I wasn't!" She scoffed as she felt her cheeks turn red. Reid started to laugh as he noticed her embarrassment. 

"It was hot, babe," he said as he handed Belle her shirt. She smiled to herself as they finished dressing. 

"You just cured my post-breakup depression," she said as they made their way out of the bathroom.

Luckily, the rest of the team was still asleep, seemingly undisturbed by what had just happened no more than 5 feet away from them.


	8. VIII

_"They won't tell you fairytales of how girls can be dangerous and still win. They will only tell stories where girls are sweet and kind and reject all sin. I guess to them it's a terrifying thought, who knew exactly what she was doing when she invited the wild in." -Nikita Gill_

 

"Belle," Reid mumbled as he threw his arm across her stomach and pulled her into his chest. She sighed contently before looking over at the alarm clock next to his bed.

It read 7:45.

"Get up, Spence!" Belle screamed as she tossed the comforter off of them and wiggled out of Reid's grip. They only had fifteen minutes to get to work.

Belle dashed to the bathroom.

"Come baackk," Reid groaned as he rubbed his eyes. She ignored him and started putting on her pants from the previous night.

"We're gonna be late if you don't get up," she said, looking over to see his naked body. She bit her lip as she remembered the night before.

And the night before that, and before that, etc.

Damn, she was lucky.

Reid got dressed once he finally got out of bed while Belle made a pot of coffee. She fixed hers how she liked it and poured extra sugar into the other. Reid sure liked his coffee sweet. 

"Leave your car here and ride with me," Reid said as he took his cup of coffee from off the counter and kissed her cheek. Belle blushed at the innocent gesture.

"Ok," she beamed.

 

 

 

Reid pulled the car into the parking lot of the BAU building. Belle climbed out of the passenger seat while trying to balance her coffee, phone, and bag in one hand. She closed the door behind her with her hip and walked to where Reid was waiting. He stuck out his hand and she happily grabbed it, intertwining her fingers with his.

They stepped onto the elevator in a comfortable silence and Belle pressed the button for their floor. Reid leaned down and placed a small kiss on her forehead, sending butterflies throughout her entire body. She smiled up at him and pecked his lips quickly.

The elevator bell rang, indicating that they had arrived on their floor. Before the doors opened, Reid dropped her hand abruptly.

Belle didn't think much of it.

"Hey you two!" Penelope exclaimed when she saw them emerge from the elevator. "I have donuts for everyone!"

"What's the occasion?" Belle asked as she put her stuff down on her desk and walked over to Garcia.

"I thought we could all use a treat because of how many cases we've had lately," Penelope said with a hint of guilt in her voice.

"And..." Emily egged on, taking a glazed donut from the box.

"And... we have another case," Penelope said without looking up at any of them. They all groaned. "Hotch said he'll brief you guys on the jet. 'Wheels up in 30'," she said in a mocking tone.

 

 

 

The team all piled onto the small airplane and put their go-bags in the storage compartments. Belle took a seat next to Reid. He was already completely immersed in the book he had taken with him, so she didn't say anything. Instead, she placed her hand on his knee.

He froze.

"Stop," he whispered so only Belle could hear.

"What?" She whispered back, genuinely confused.

"Not now," he said, pushing her hand off of his knee. Belle turned away from him, her face turning hot with rejection.

She wasn't trying to be sexual, she just wanted him to know she was there. Belle swallowed back the tears she knew would spill if she didn't distract herself. She sat there for a few moments, wondering if she had done something wrong. She went back in her mind to everything that had happened between the elevator ride to the BAU department and them getting onto the plane.

Nothing stuck out to her.

Belle played with her hands in her lap before she finally decided to get up. She went to sit on one of the couches next to JJ. She was filled with confusion and hurt.

"You okay?" JJ asked as she noticed Belle's flustered state.

"Just a little motion sickness," she lied. Belle took out my phone and listened to music for the rest of the flight, trying her best to forget about the small incident with Reid.

 

 

 

The plane landed hours later in Seattle, where their next case would be taking place. Belle gathered her things and hopped into a black SUV that was waiting for them. Coincidentally, the girls were all in one car, while the boys took the other. They all remained silent during the ride over to the police station besides the occasional yawn of exhaustion.

None of them had slept in hours.

They arrived at the Seattle Police Department at around 10:00 PM and were given a room to set up in. Hotch had explained to everyone on the plane ride that they were looking for an unsub, most likely a white male, who was killing prostitutes and homeless people within the area. It was your typical vigilante who thought he was "cleaning up the streets" case that they'd seen a million times before.

"We won't be able to catch him at this time of night, so we'll meet back here in the morning. Everyone get some rest and be ready early," Hotch informed the team after they had set up what they could.

The hotel that they were staying at was conveniently located right across the street. The team made their way up to the desk to find out their sleeping arrangements. 

"We're the agents from the FBI, working with the local police. We were told to speak to you to find out about our rooms," Derek said to the woman working at the front desk.

"Of course!" She said, clearly interested in Derek because of his good looks. JJ, Emily, and Belle rolled their eyes. "I'm really sorry, but there were only 4 rooms available because of the short notice. I hope that won't be a problem," she said in an overly peppy voice.

"I'm married, so I'm not sharing a bed with a guy," JJ quickly said before anyone else could.

"You can have the single room, then," Rossi said.

Belle turned to Reid, expecting him to claim her as his roommate for the night. 

"I'll be with Derek," he said casually, never looking to meet her eyes. She tried to hide the fact that it felt like she had just been stabbed (which had happened before).

"Well, I don't wanna be with Rossi or Hotch, so it looks like I get Belle," Emily said, linking her arm through Belle's. She gave her a fake smile. Belle loved having sleepovers with Emily, but she had had other things in mind for the night.

Well, not anymore.

"That works, goodnight guys," Rossi said before taking his room key and heading towards the elevator. JJ, Emily, and Derek also parted towards their rooms. Belle waited to see if she would even get a goodnight from Reid.

"Belle," Reid whispered. She turned to face him.

"Hmm?" She hummed, trying to sound as uninterested as possible.

"Uh, goodnight," he said, trying to get her to make eye contact with him. Belle let her eyes wander to the wall behind his head. She refused to let him act like nothing had happened.

"Mhmm, whatever," Belle shrugged before turning and walking away.

Two could play at this game.


	9. IX

_"Sometimes all you can do is lie in bed, and hope to fall asleep before you fall apart." -William C. Hannan_

 

****The next morning, Spencer woke up earlier than Morgan and got in the shower first. He thought maybe the steam from the hot water would help eliminate the heavy bags under his eyes from the sleepless night. Reid had tossed and turned for hours, his mind constantly on Belle.

It wasn't like he didn't want to show off to the whole team, particularly Morgan, that he had managed to get such a smoke show of a woman. Of course, Spencer wanted everyone to know Belle was his. But, he knew how their job worked. The more people you loved, the easier it was to get hurt. Criminals who wanted nothing more than to see you pay for locking them up would use anything to get back at you, including hurting your loved ones.

That's why Reid couldn't have people knowing Belle and him were together. It was just too risky. He'd already lost everyone, he couldn't lose her, too.

Reid washed his hair in an attempt to shake his mind from Belle, but it wasn't working. He kept thinking about how much he wished she was in the shower with him, pressed up against his body.

He cursed at himself when he felt that all-too-familiar twitch from down between his legs. 

Reid sighed, giving up on the shower idea completely. The images of a soapy, wet Belle that danced around in his head were making things much more complicated than they needed to be. He shut the water off and wrapped a towel around his torso, trying his best to hide the slight rise of fabric near his crotch.

Spencer shuffled back into the room, keeping his back to Morgan. Luckily, he was still asleep. Reid threw on some pants, a dress shirt, a purple cardigan, and mismatching socks.

"Wake up, Hotch said to be at the PD early," Spencer said, twirling his damp towel up to use as a whip. He smacked Morgan with it until he finally rolled over and got up for the day.

 

 

 

Emily and Belle got up early and waited for JJ in the lobby of the hotel. The three of them made their way across the street to the Seattle police station and went into the room that had been sectioned off for the BAU.

"Oh wow, we even have a coffee machine in here," JJ pointed out, walking over to the table that had been set up the night before. There were bagels and donuts displayed alongside a coffee machine with all sorts of different flavors.

After setting up a map of Seattle on a white board, Belle made her way over to the coffee machine. Out of habit, she grabbed two cups. One for her, and one for the boy she was mad at. She sighed before putting one back down. Belle didn't like fighting with Reid, but she wasn't going to cave.

After making her coffee the way she liked it, Belle turned back to her work. All four of the men came into the room, late as usual. 

"Alright, let's get to work," Hotch announced, even though JJ, Emily, and Belle were already working. They each went off and did the tasks they were given in order to make up a profile, which they would later give to the local policemen. 

"Hey," Belle heard a voice from behind her as she jotted down the locations of where each victim was found.

It was Reid's voice.

"Hey," she said, nonchalantly. 

"Can we talk?" He whispered, clearly trying not to create any attention on them. Because god forbid anyone knew that they were a thing!

"About the case, sure," Belle said, giving the pettiest fake smile she could muster. She wanted him to know that he wasn't going to get off so easily.

"Everything okay?" Hotch questioned, giving both of them a confused look from the other side of the table. 

"Yep, just helping out my good friend Spencer here with some evidence!" Belle said sarcastically before patting his back a little too hard. She got up from her seat and trudged out the door to call the forensic analyst on duty. She had innocent lives to worry about right now, Reid could wait.

 

 

 

"Reid, Morgan, Hopkins, go talk to the family of the latest victim," Hotch said, snapping them out of their work. Belle rolled her eyes as she got up, making sure Reid saw her.

Belle walked ahead of the two boys into the parking lot. She didn't want to get stuck sitting next to Reid, so she chose to take the back seat. This way, he couldn't stare at her unless he turned all the way around, which would be way too obvious in front of Morgan.

"I'll drive, pretty boy," Derek stated the obvious.

Belle buckled her seat belt and waited for the other two to settle into their seats. Morgan started the ignition and put the car in drive.

They sat in silence for the first five minutes of the car ride, which was unusual for those three. Whenever there was a combination of Spencer, Derek, Emily, or Belle together, there were always a lot of jokes being tossed around. They were the four youngest, after all. Plus, they were all currently single.

Belle cringed at the thought. 

Derek seemed to notice the tension in the air because he decided to break it. 

"What's up with you two today?" Morgan questioned, glancing over at Reid before looking at Belle in the rearview mirror.

Neither of them answered.

"Belle, the daggers that are your eyes right now could cut a bitch. And Reid, you're way more boring than usual. What's going on?" He pressed, not giving up.

"I'm just tired," Reid finally spoke up. "Jet lag probably."

"Yeah, what he said," Belle replied harshly, crossing my arms. The rest of the ride was just as awkward until Belle's phone rang.

Penelope, thank god.

"Hi P!" She said, excited by the interruption. 

"Hey B! Guess who's in Seattle!!!" Penelope shouted. Belle moved the phone away from her ear until she was quiet.

"Me, unfortunately," Belle groaned, catching Reid's eyes staring at her in the rearview mirror. She quickly looked down at her knees.

"No, my little puff pastry. I am!" Garcia shouted again.

"Wait why?!" Belle asked, trying not to sound rude. She was just surprised. 

"Because! Hotch said Seattle would be experiencing rolling black outs this weekend and asked if I would fly out. You know, so my tech-like super powers can be at your service," she squealed on the other side of the phone, making Belle laugh.

"Maybe this case won't suck after all," she said, making sure that both men in front of her could hear.

"We're so partying it up in the hotel tonight," Penelope said, causing her to smile.

"No boys allowed," Belle said in return.

 

 

 

Belle spent the rest of the day avoiding Reid at all costs. She made sure to stand as far away from him as possible when they delivered the profile. Anytime she had to speak to him about something involving the case, she looked anywhere but his eyes. She could tell it was getting to him, because he barely even flinched when a local officer nearly spilled her entire iced coffee on his lap. Normally, Reid would freak out at something like that, being the germaphobe that he is. But, he was too busy studying Belle from afar to even notice.

Belle wrapped up her section of work as fast as she could and headed back to the hotel. Emily, JJ, and Penelope said they'd be right behind her, so she took the time she had alone to take a much needed shower. Belle knew Reid wouldn't be following her anytime soon because he had barely gotten any work done. He was so distracted by her ability to ignore him that he had fallen behind on his tasks and would have to stay late. 

Maybe if he didn't feel the need to hide their relationship, he wouldn't be slacking, Belle thought to herself.

Whatever their relationship even was, that is.

After her shower, Belle looked through her go-bag for something clean to sleep in. The girls and her were planning to have a little get together in their room, but she wouldn't have to look decent for that. Belle dug through her bag, flinging clothes all over the bed. For some reason, her dumb ass had only packed red lace lingerie for the entirety of the trip. She knew she hadn't done laundry in a while, mainly because she had been spending so many nights at Reid's, but she could have sworn she had packed something else. Belle sighed, giving up on the idea of finding something more comfortable. She threw on the bra and matching thong, small bows included, and an extra large FBI academy sweatshirt. She figured the girls wouldn't mind if she didn't wear pants.

 

 

 

"You're wasted!" JJ laughed, pointing at Emily as she attempted to balance on her head, which she failed at miserably.

"Am not!" Emily retorted with slurred words. She collapsed onto the bed and they all burst into laughter. Emily really thought she was an acrobat or something.

"Ok, Penelope, your turn!" Emily said when they had all collected themselves.

"I pick truth!" Penelope said with a drunken hiccup. JJ started to boo her.

"That's so boring," Belle said, giving Penny a light shove.

"Emily's dares are terrifying!" She defended herself. Belle agreed with her there, especially when Emily was this drunk.

"Ok, ok, fine. Penelope, if you could, which guy on the team would you ba-"

"MORGAN," Penelope interrupted, sending them all into another fit of giggles.

"I guess that was pretty obvious. I'd pick Hotch, though," Emily said, taking another swig from her bottle of wine.

"Ew, what the hell, Em!" JJ said, making them laugh even harder.

"Hotch is kinda cute, for an older guy," Belle said to his defense. This caught Emily's attention.

"So you'd pick him too?" She asked, happy to have someone agree with her.

"Wait, what, no," Belle said, shaking her head vigorously. She thought Hotch was cute, but she didn't want to bang him.

"Then who?" Emily pressed.

Belle prayed the blush on her face would go unnoticed because of the amount of wine everyone had had.

"It's obviously Morgan," Penelope said sarcastically, still thinking about her chocolate thunder.

"Oh my god, no!" Belle protested again. 

"Well, Rossi is like your dad, so that only leaves one person," JJ chimed in with a smirk. Belle could literally feel the heat rising to her face.

"No-"

Belle was interrupted by a knock on the door. Relieved, she jumped up off the bed.

"I'll get it!" She said as she ran away before they could say anything else. At this point, nothing could be worse than being harassed by the three of them, so Belle didn't care who was at the door. She glanced at the mirror in the bathroom to make sure she looked presentable in case it was Hotch telling them to get back to the station. She turned the door handle and pulled it open. 

Reid.

She had spoken too soon.

"Please talk to me," he said without giving her a chance to even say hello. Belle fought with herself internally on whether or not she should slam the door in his face or hear him out. She was a nice drunk, so she decided on the second option.

"IS THAT SPENCEY?" They heard one of the girls screech in the back. Reid towered over Belle, so he could easily look behind her. A grin spread on his lips.

"Am I interrupting something?" He asked in an incredibly amused tone. Something about his female coworkers getting absolutely trashed was hilarious to him.

Belle pushed him out into the hallway to avoid any further embarrassment from her lovely girlfriends.

"Uh, no," she stammered, shutting the door behind her. He laughed at her flustered state.

"You're drunk, Belle," he said, looking at her glazed over eyes.

"I'm literally not," she said, trying to sound as sober as possible. She was completely plastered.

"Ok, well, 1. you are, and 2. I came to apologize," Reid said, taking a step closer.

"Apologize for what," Belle fired back, crossing her arms. If he was truly sorry, he'd say what for.

"For ignoring you at work and not wanting to tell people about us," he paused. "But, you have to understand where I'm coming from. If people know we have a thing, it'll only get complicated. And I don't wanna see you get hurt, Belle. You know, statistics show-"

"Spence," Belle said, putting a finger up to his lips. She had missed touching them.

"Hmm?" He hummed into her finger. The vibration sent a shiver down her spine. God, she had missed him. Plus, she was intoxicated, so she couldn't control herself very well. She suddenly remembered what she had on underneath her sweatshirt.

"You know, if you admit to everyone that you like me, you can get used to seeing these," Belle said, slowly lifting her sweatshirt up to reveal her cherry-colored lingerie. She watched Reid's pupils dilate as he took in the sight in front of him.

"Belle," he gulped as she moved closer to him. She removed the sweatshirt completely and put her arms around his neck. He tried to fight it, but his hands instinctively moved to her waist. Belle smirked to herself.

"Yeah baby?" She pouted seductively.

"Stop-" his words trailed off as she pressed her body against his. She was trying her hardest to tease him, and it seemed to be working.

"All you gotta do is tell the team you're mine," Belle said, looking up at him from under her lashes. Her hand made its way to his thigh, causing him to freeze in place. She moved her mouth so it was inches from his.

"Belle, no," he said, pushing her away softly. She backed up against her door.

"Spence," Belle whispered.

"I can't do this. Not when you're this drunk. And not with our whole team down the hall. I can't have them finding out abou-"

"Are you fucking serious, Spence?" She interrupted him, causing him to stop mid sentence. "Do you really think I can't take care of myself? What's the worst that could happen? I'm a federal agent, after all!" She said, going from horny to angry in seconds.

"No, that's not what I meant-"

"Then what did you mean?! Cause it really seems like you just don't want to be linked to me. Am I really that awful?" Maybe she wasn't a nice drunk.

"Belle, I never said that. You're completely twisting my words-"

"Well, you didn't have to say it. It's clear that this was only about sex for you, so now I look like the idiot for thinking that maybe, just maybe! Spencer Reid could actually like someone like me. Obviously I was wrong!" Belle screamed, unaware that hotel guests were now coming out of their rooms to see what was going on. They looked horrified to see a woman in nothing but lingerie yelling at a fully clothed man. Belle turned around and stuck her key into the door.

"Belle, wait, that isn't-" She slammed the door shut and slid down it, bursting into a fit of uncontrollable sobs. 


	10. X

_"Times are tough, but I am tougher. I'll be fine." -E.E._

 

 ****Belle landed on the floor with a small thud, sobbing into her hands. Almost instantly, the three girls were on the ground in front of her.

"What happened?"

"What'd Reid do?" 

"I'll fucking kill him,"

Belle cried even harder. Even though she was mad at Spencer, she wasn't going to betray him. If he didn't want anyone to know about them, then she wouldn't tell anyone. Belle rubbed her eyes, knowing what excuse she would use.

"He didn't do anything, it's just this case," she said, standing up. "It's just getting to me, you know."

Everyone on the team knew Belle got slightly more upset than usual during cases that involved violence towards women because of things she'd seen in the past. Belle felt guilty for using it to cover up her petty drama, but she didn't know what else to do.

"Come here, boo bear," Penelope said as she pulled Belle into a hug. Two other sets of arms quickly wrapped themselves around her as well. They stood in a warm, drunken embrace for a minute before pulling away.

"I'll be okay," Belle laughed as the hug ended. "As long as I have my girls."

 

 

 

 

Spencer fast-walked back to his room in order to avoid the questioning looks he was receiving from the other people in the hallway. The scene looked pretty bad; a drunk girl in her underwear, screaming and running away from him. They were probably wondering if they should call the police or not.

Reid slid his keycard into the door of his room and let himself in. He sat on the edge of the bed as Derek walked out of the bathroom in his pajamas. 

"You look like shit," Morgan said, sitting down next to Spencer. "Anything I should know about?"

"Don't worry about it," Reid said, taking his shoes off and looking down at his purple and green socks.

"C'mon, pretty boy, I know that look. This is about a girl," Derek said, laying back against the headboard. Reid sighed.

"No it's not," Spencer said, even though he knew Morgan could see right through him.

"Yeah, okay," he said, clearly unconvinced.

"Well, let's say it is about a girl," Reid said, trailing off.

"Ah ha! Is it a girl I know?" Morgan asked.

"No!" Reid said, way too quickly.

"Is it a girl I should know?" Morgan asked with a cheeky grin on his face. Reid should have known he would just turn this into a joke.

"Just forget I said anything," Spencer said, getting up to turn the light off. 

"No, no, seriously, tell me what's up," Derek said in a serious tone. Reid wasn't sure if he could trust him to be sincere or not. Morgan tended to tease him about his lack of experience with women.

"Fine. This girl, let's call her Rose," Reid said, thinking about the rose from the movie Beauty and the Beast. He hoped that wouldn't be too obvious.

"Ok, Rose," Derek said, waiting for Reid to continue.

"So, Rose wants to make our relationship public, but I'm not so sure about it. You know what happened to Haley, and I don't wa-"

"Hold up, you actually have a girlfriend?" Derek asked, surprised. Reid tried his best to hide his annoyance. 

"No, she's not my girlfriend," he explained.

"Well, why not?" Derek asked genuinely. Reid paused for a moment, pondering the question.

"I- uh. I don't know," he said, puzzled. 

"Before you worry about all that other stuff, maybe you should worry about officially making her yours, first," Derek said in a matter of fact kind of way. 

Spencer sighed again. Maybe Morgan was right. Maybe he should ask Belle to be his girlfriend before he started making demands about who she could and couldn't tell about their relationship.

 

 

 

 

"You two are so flipping cute!" Penelope exclaimed, pointing her iPhone camera at Reid and Belle. Belle buried her face into Spencer's chest so she wouldn't be in the picture. Belle felt his chest go up and down as he chuckled at her embarrassment. 

"So, when's the wedding?" Rossi joked. Belle looked up at Reid and smiled. The thought of marrying him one day didn't seem all that scary. He beamed down at her, happy to have her in his arms.

"I call maid of honor!" Emily said, raising her hand. Reid and Belle laughed at their friends excitement over their hypothetical wedding. Reid lead her over to a seat and pulled her onto his lap. Belle nestled into him, tugging his arms so they were wrapped around her.

Everything was perfect.

Hotch came into the briefing room a moment later with a scowl on his face. Everyone turned their attention to him, noticing the clock in his hand. 

Or maybe it wasn't a clock; rather, a bomb.

It started ticking.

 

**-BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP-**

 

Belle woke up with a jolt to the sound of her phone ringing. Right, she was still in Seattle.

And, she was still working a case.

And, she was still in a fight with Reid.

But, at least there was no bomb.

She sat up in bed and felt a sharp pain surge through her head. Belle had forgotten how much she had had to drink last night. She added 'hungover' to her mental list of bad things in her life.

"Hotch says to meet him at the hospital downtown. They found another victim, but she's alive," Emily said, reading her texts out loud. Maybe today would have a bright patch after all.

 

 

 

 

The team rushed over to the hospital where the victim was being kept. She had managed to get away from the unsub by kicking him in the groin and running to the nearest gas station. She couldn't identify her attacker because he wore a mask, but they were just grateful she was able to get away. 

"Now, I want you to close your eyes for me-" Morgan said, starting a cognitive interview with the survivor in order to gain more information. The rest of the team left the room to give them space.

"Why has slender man been staring at you all morning?" Rossi asked as Belle sat down next to him in the hospital lobby. She tried to hold back a giggle from escaping her mouth.

"Don't call him that!" She said, nudging Rossi playfully. He pretended to be hurt by her actions before laughing along.

"But really, have you not noticed Reid's eyes following you?" He asked. Belle had noticed, but she played it off.

"Not really," Belle said, turning her attention to the little TV in the waiting room. 

"Maybe I'm just seeing things," Rossi said before getting up to talk to Hotch. Belle let herself relax in the seat while she waited for more instructions on what to do.

Spencer stood with his back against the door of the hospital room Morgan was in, glancing over at Belle. She had her hair pulled back in a French braid with a few stray pieces clinging to her face. He watched as she pushed the strands behind her ear. Her eyes were still blood shot from the night before, but Reid couldn't tell if it was from the alcohol or from her crying. He really hoped he hadn't made her cry.

He put his hands in his pocket, trying to find his phone. Reid's hands wrapped around it and he pulled it out, swiping to unlock it. He went to his contacts and searched under B. He found Belle's name with a little bell emoji next to it and clicked on it to type a new message.

 

**To Belle:**

**"Meet my outside"**

 

Spencer sent the message and looked back up at her, waiting for her to receive it. Belle started to pull her phone out of her pocket so he took that as his cue to head outside. He didn't want her to catch him staring her down.

Reid walked down the long, white hallways until he reached the elevator. He stepped inside and waited for a few nurses to get in as well. He leaned back against the wall, reciting in his head what he would say to Belle. The elevator began to descend, stopping at each floor until it reached the ground level. Reid waited for the nurses to step out first before he headed out the front door of the hospital. He spotted the black SUV that the team had taken from the hotel and walked over to it. It was still winter, so it was freezing outside. Spencer hesitated before opening the door, unsure of whether or not it would be weird to just chill inside the car.

A strong gust of wind filled with particles of snow made up his mind for him.

Reid waited in the warmth of the SUV for Belle to come. He looked down at his phone, forgetting that she might have said no.

 

**From Belle:**

**"Why should I?"**

 

Spencer's heart began to race.

Yes, she had an attitude, but at least she had answered. That was better than nothing.

 

**To Belle:**

**"Please?"**

 

Reid typed with his numb fingers. He pressed send and put the phone back in his pocket. He decided he'd give it five minutes before he gave up. If she didn't come outside by then, he'd have to think of a new plan.

Just as he was about to open the door and head back inside, he saw Belle's small figure walking towards the car. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as he opened the door for her. She scooted into the SUV and pulled the door shut behind her. She didn't look at him, which gave Reid the indication that she was still mad.

"Belle?" he asked, testing out the waters.

"Spencer," she snapped back. His heart dropped at the use of his full name.

"Will you at least look at me?" Reid asked, praying she would loosen up a little bit. He couldn't stand having her mad at him.

"No," she hissed back. 

"Ok, that's fine. But, just hear me out, okay?" Spencer said, debating on whether to take her hand in his or not. Maybe now wasn't the right time.

"Fine," she crossed her arms, still staring blankly ahead. Reid took in a deep breath and got himself ready.

"Ok, well, here it goes. I'm sorry about what happened last night and what's been happening the past few days. My excuses for not showing you affection are nothing but that; excuses. I shouldn't be afraid to express how I feel about you when you're completely capable of defending yourself if something were to happen. You're the strongest woman I know. Hell, you're probably stronger than me. Well, that isn't very hard to accomplish, actually. I'm rambling, sorry. Anyway, I'm sorry for acting like such an idiot. And, specifically about last night, I'm sorry for pushing you away like that. I just didn't want to have you wake up and regret it if we had done something while you weren't entirely sober. It would have crushed me if you were to think I had taken advantage of you, because I'd never do that. You're such a perfect arrangement of atoms and it makes me wonder how someone like you could ever even like me. I respect you so much and I'm so mad at myself for almost letting you get away. I'll never, ever, ever make that mistake again," Spencer finished, trying to catch his breath. 

"You're not stupid for caring," Belle finally spoke up. Reid looked at her, confused by her statement. "Wanting to protect me by keeping our relationship a secret is fine, I get it. But you never really gave me a heads up."

"I know I didn't, and I'm sorry for that," he said, desperately wanting to grab onto her and never let go.

"Stop saying sorry," she said, finally turning to face Reid.

"Sorry," he whispered, gaining a small smile from Belle, which caused him to smile.

"I missed you," she whispered, putting her hand on his. 

"I missed you more," Spencer said, grabbing her hand and pulling her closer. He planted a soft kiss on her lips before pulling away.

"And also, will you officially be my girlfriend?" he asked, hoping she was done punishing him.

"I guess," she said sarcastically. Reid scoffed and pulled her into a tight hug. The world finally felt complete again.

"And if you want to wait to tell the team, that's okay with me. Sneaking around might be kinda sexy," she said into Spencer's neck. He shivered at the sensation.

"You're sure?" He questioned, not wanting to pressure her into anything.

"Mhmm," she said, cupping his cheek with her small hand and kissing him. Reid kissed her back needfully, never wanting to go this long again without feeling her lips on his.


	11. XI

_"Your hand touching mine. This is how galaxies collide." -Sanober Khan_

 

Spencer woke up in his own bed for a change. After successfully arresting the unsub in Seattle, the team was finally able to fly home and rest. Belle and Reid had gone to their own separate apartments because they were exhausted and just wanted to sleep. Plus, they didn't want anyone to see them leaving together.

Reid got up and got himself ready for work. He wasn't dreading the day ahead as much as he normally would, mostly because he knew he'd get to see Belle. Fighting with her had drained him so much, physically and emotionally. He was excited to get back on track and be happy again with his new girlfriend.

Reid got everything he needed and headed to the BAU building. When he arrived at his desk, he noticed a large stack of files waiting for him. Reid groaned. The only downside to having no current cases was that it meant having a lot of paperwork. Even though it was easy, it was still the part of the job he disliked the most. He surveyed the room and saw everyone else working on their own share of files. He sighed before diving into his own.

 

 

 

By lunch time, Spencer was nearly finished with his paperwork. His hand was cramping from the constant writing he had to do so he let himself take a much earned break. He took his phone out of his pocket to check his texts. He had a picture message from Belle so he clicked on it. He couldn't quite make out what it was of so he enlarged it.

Reid's eyes widened.

The picture was of Belle's body, minus her face. She was wearing nothing but black panties and a matching black bra with gold straps. Her bellybutton ring glistened against her slightly toned abs, making Spencer's palms sweat already. The caption read "Come take a break."

Reid felt his pants tightening as he looked over to Belle's desk. It was empty. He glanced back down at the picture to try to figure out where she was. It looked like a bathroom, but one he didn't recognize, which meant it was probably the ladies room. His girlfriend had a thing for bathrooms, he guessed.

Spencer got up from his seat, trying to look as calm as possible. The last thing he needed was Morgan trying to profile him and figure out why he was grinning down at his phone. Reid quickly made his way into the break room and pushed open the girls bathroom door, hoping nobody saw him.

"Finally!" Belle exclaimed as she closed the door behind him. He gulped as her exposed skin brushed against him.

"Wha- what are you, uh, doing?" Spencer asked as his eyes raked up and down her body. He subconsciously flicked his tongue out across his lips.

"Am I not allowed to want to see my boyfriend?" Belle asked as she took his hand in hers and lead him over to the sink. She hoisted herself up so she was sitting on the counter.

"No-no.. You are," Reid whispered as she beckoned him to come closer. He nervously took a step forward and put his hands on her waist. Something about Belle made him so confident yet so timid at the same time.

"Good. Then let me see you," she said, putting emphasis on the word see. She began unbuttoning his cardigan as fast as she could before she tore it off and threw it in a random direction. She then worked on getting his tie and shirt off. Reid's mind was screaming at him that this was wrong and could get them in so much trouble, yet he couldn't help himself. He moved her hands away from his chest because he knew he'd be able to get his shirt off faster.

Belle smirked, clearly proud of herself for getting him to oblige. Reid rolled his eyes before yanking his shirt off so that his upper half was completely naked. He tossed it off to the side and put his hands back on Belle's hips. Her hands immediately made their way into his hair.

"You're gonna get me fired," Spencer groaned as her fingers twirled themselves in his curls. She responded by pressing her lips harshly against his, swallowing him into a heated kiss. Her tongue glided softly across his bottom lip and he happily opened his mouth to her. He felt her tongue graze against his own, but only for a second before he decided to fight for dominance. Their tongues danced around together for a minute before she let Reid win and became submissive in his arms. 

Spencer ran his hands through her long, dark hair and pulled her closer. He heard a soft moan escape her lips as he began grinding himself against her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, attempting to get as close to him as possible. Reid's hands moved to her thighs, rubbing up and down at a pace that he knew would drive her crazy.

He moved his mouth to her neck and began leaving open mouthed kisses. He bit at her soft skin just hard enough to leave a mark. He was about to put more hickeys lower down when he was interrupted by someone shouting.

"MISS HOPKINS, YOU HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO D- OH MY GOD," a voice came from the door as Belle and Spencer jumped apart. She covered her half-naked chest with her hands while he just stood there.

"Penelope, I- it's not what-" Belle began to scramble for something to say to the tech analyst who had just walked in on their make-out session.

"Young lady, next time you send provocative pictures, try using snapchat instead of iMessage. It's so easy to trace," Penelope said as she put her hands on her hips. Reid looked up at Belle who seemed mortified. 

"Why were you looking at my pictures!" Belle said, embarrassed. Reid knew she wasn't that mad though, because she had a small smile on her face.

"It's my job, girlie," Penelope said, walking over to them with a huge grin. She had always 'shipped' the two of them, so Reid knew she was probably ecstatic right now.

"No it's not," Belle laughed, hopping down off the counter. Spencer still stood there, unsure of what to say. He didn't know how to feel about Garcia seeing him shirtless. "But you can't tell anyone!"

"Your secret's safe with me," Penelope squealed while she pretended to zip her lips shut. Reid sighed, relived that they wouldn't be exposed to the whole team. Belle handed him his shirt and tie with a small giggle.

Maybe one person knowing wasn't the worst thing in the world.

 

 

 

After the incident in the bathroom, Penelope, Reid, and Belle decided to walk out in intervals so nobody would suspect anything. Once they were all back at their desks, Hotch called everyone into the briefing room. Belle walked in with Emily, trying to keep her distance from Reid, just in case anyone had seen them go into the bathroom together. The coast seemed clear, so she decided it would be okay to take her usual spot next to him. That had been her seat since her very first day at the BAU, so it wouldn't be weird to sit there.

She was being paranoid.

Hotch began briefing them on their newest case about some freak who was drugging young women at clubs and dragging them home where he would kill them. Belle started zoning out halfway through, daydreaming about being wrapped up with Reid in his bed while he read stories to her. She sighed grimly to herself, thinking about how they'd probably be working for the next week on this case.

She'd have to think of more creative ways to get alone time with her boy.

As Hotch was going through more information on the case, Belle decided to tease Reid a little bit. She hadn't quite gotten all that she wanted in the bathroom earlier, so she was still a little hot and bothered. She let her hand drop to her side and under the table so that it was out of sight from the rest of the team. Belle slowly moved her wheeling chair closer to Reid's, making sure to go unnoticed by everyone, including him. She let her hand wander onto his thigh. She felt him tense up under her touch, which only made her want to keep going. Belle kept her poker face on and stared directly ahead at the board Hotch was pointing at while her thumb rubbed deeply into the outer part of Reid's thigh. As she rubbed small circles, her hand glided further up. She knew Reid was equally as turned on by the way he kept glancing down at her hand but never moving it. 

"I'd like you to meet Cheyenne Wolfe," Hotch said, pressing a button on his computer that made an image of a woman project onto the whiteboard behind him. The woman was young, maybe Belle's age, and incredibly pretty. She had dark skin which contrasted beautifully with her bright blue eyes. She smiled at the team with the straightest, whitest teeth imaginable.

Belle's hand froze on Reid's leg.

"Hi everyone! I'm looking forward to working with you all on this case!" The woman on the video call said in a voice that reminded Belle of a song bird.

Did this girl have any flaws?

Belle pulled her hand off of Reid and back into her lap, suddenly not in the mood anymore. She was obviously jealous of the agent that was going to be working with them this week, but she could never say that out loud. It wasn't Cheyenne's fault that she was gifted genetically and had literally zero flaws. Belle already hated the amount of shit women have to deal with on a daily basis, so she made it a rule of hers to never hate on other girls (unless they were a serial killer or something). Agent Wolfe being so awesome was only stirring up Belle's insecurities because she knew all the men on the team wouldn't be able to keep their eyes off of her.

Including Reid.

The briefing conference ended and Belle got up to get her stuff together. The case was in Virginia, so they wouldn't be taking the jet. Belle walked to her desk, pushing in the chair and shutting her computer down. She crouched down to retrieve her go-bag from underneath the table. The trip wouldn't require a plane ride, but it was still too far away to go back and forth between the case and her apartment. Belle was hoping Garcia would be able to get them a hotel because they'd had to sleep in the FBI cars in the past, and she just wasn't about that life.

Belle felt a soft nudge on her back as she was checking to make sure she had everything. She turned around, prepared to smack whoever it was.

"Relax babe," Reid said as he grabbed her fist before it hit him. Belle softened under his touch for a moment, before remembering how they were about to drive to the police station that Agent Gorgeous worked at. She looked behind him, worried that someone might see them getting a little too close.

"They're already downstairs," Reid said, clearly picking up on her paranoia. 

"Sorry, I'm just on edge after what happened with Penelope today," Belle said, intertwining her fingers with Spencer's as she picked up her Longchamp bag and let it rest over her shoulder. The two walked towards the elevator where they'd have their last few seconds together before they'd be forced to keep their distance again.

"You're so cute," Reid said, wrapping his arms around her from behind as she pressed the button for the ground floor. Belle felt something hard pressing against her backside, causing her to blush.

"Spence! Stop it!" She whispered. She was only half joking because she knew they'd be in front of the team within seconds.

"I can't help it," Reid whined into her ear as he started to grind into her. Belle closed her eyes, wishing they were at home instead of in the BAU elevator.


	12. XII

_"I'm not good at telling stories, I am a messy eater, half the time I don't make sense. And I know I frustrate you a lot. But I do adore you." -Unknown_

 

 ****Rossi drove the first SUV along with JJ and Hotch so that they could get to the destination at a reasonable time and be able to call their kids to say goodnight. The rest of the team, Prentiss, Morgan, Reid, and Hopkins, weren't in as big of a rush, so they took their time packing up the car. They all silently agreed that Morgan would drive, because they knew that he was the best with directions. Belle grinned to herself when she picked up on the fact that Reid wasn't fighting as hard to ride shotgun as usual. She pretended to frown when Emily ran in front of her and slid into the passenger seat. She quickly locked the door, assuming that Belle would try to drag her out of the car. Little did Emily know, she was ecstatic to be sitting in the back.

It was around 5:00 PM on a winter day, so it was already fairly dark out. The interior of the car was lit only by the small green numbers on the dashboard clock. Belle buckled her seatbelt and waited for the heat to kick in.

As they pulled out of the BAU parking lot, she felt a cold hand tug at her own. She turned towards the window, trying to hide her blushing face. Belle felt like a little girl in middle school who had her first secret boyfriend. She decided it was dark enough in the car to hide their hands as her own numb fingers laced themselves through Reid's.

 

 

 

The high-tech GPS on the dashboard of the SUV indicated that they had arrived where they were going after only a short two hours. Belle opened the door and hopped out, holding onto the side of the car as she let her legs adjust to the sudden movement. She stretched for a minute before getting her go-bag and purse from the trunk and heading into the police station. She quickly spotted Hotch, Rossi, and JJ, along with another figure who had their back to her. She waited for the rest of the team to catch up before advancing towards the four.

"Agent Wolfe, this is Agent Morgan, Agent Prentiss, Agent Hopkins, and Dr. Reid," Hotch said as they approached the table that the team had already set up. Belle tried to hide the smile on her face when Wolfe retracted her hand after being shot down for a handshake by Reid.

Belle stepped forward, putting her hand out to her. She was even prettier in person, which made Belle want to dislike her. But, she seemed to know what she was doing. And, she seemed genuinely sweet. Belle couldn't hate her.

"You can call me Belle," she said with a smile, which Agent Wolfe returned.

"Cheyenne," she said, taking Belle's hand in hers and shaking it. Belle nodded politely and turned her attention back to Hotch. He signaled for them to sit down, so she chose a seat next to Cheyenne. Belle smelled a faint hint of vanilla coming from her direction, which made her like Cheyenne even more.

A man, who was assumed to be the sheriff, walked into the room and stood in the front. He waited for all of them to get settled before speaking up.

"Now that you're all here, I'll let you know what we already know about our unsub. He has a specific type; young, petite, and brunette," he said, looking in Belle's general direction. "I was hoping that your two agents who fit this profile would accompany Agent Wolfe undercover tomorrow night," he said, asking Hotch for permission.

"Not a chance," Reid interjected before Hotch could agree. Everyone around the table looked at him, confused by his sudden outburst.

Belle felt a mix of emotions. On one hand, she was thrilled that Reid was worried about her. But, on the other hand, she was trained for this job, and she wasn't phased by a serial killer taking a preference to someone with her looks. Plus, she'd have Wolfe and Prentiss by her side if things went downhill.

"Is something wrong...?" Hotch tilted his head at Reid with genuine concern. It was so unlike Spencer to disagree with his authority figures.

"Uhh, I just think it's too dangerous," Reid mumbled, clearly embarrassed to being having this discussion in front of everyone. Belle stared at him, trying to say 'think before you speak' with her eyes.

"I can assure you, the ladies will have back up, doctor," the sheriff said, trying to ease Reid's mind. Belle felt bad for the man; he most likely wasn't expecting to have to explain himself to them.

And he shouldn't have to, she thought to herself. His plan was flawless, in her opinion. Reid needed to stop being overprotective.

"Since when do you care so much about our safety?" Emily teased, ruffling Reid's hair. His cheeks turned an even darker shade of red. He hated when people touched his hair.

Belle noticed Morgan staring intently at Reid from his spot. She knew he was trying his hardest to figure out why he was so adamant about the girls not going undercover.

"Okay," Reid finally gave in, crossing his arms. "But I'm being the first line of defense."

"Fine by me," the sheriff said, holding his hands up as if he was being accused of something. Belle sighed, taking her phone out of her pocket, which had been silenced during the meeting. She needed to distract herself from the scene in front of her. She opened her texts and read the top one from Garcia.

 

**From Penelope:**

**"Okay girl, I'm dying to know. How. Is. He. In. Bed."**

 

Belle felt her face turn hot as she read the message. She quickly double tapped out of her texts and went to settings, turning the vibrate on just in case. She was about to shove her phone back into her pocket when it buzzed.

 

**From Penelope:**

**"You have your read receipts on, Belle. Spill!"**

 

Belle needed to turn those off, she thought to herself. She tried to think of something that would both please Garcia while simultaneously shutting her up.

 

**To Penelope:**

**"He has an eidetic memory. He knows where things are."**

 

Belle pressed send and put her phone back in her pocket. Within seconds, she felt it buzzing uncontrollably. She tried to position herself in her seat so that the sound of the vibration wouldn't echo around the room. She knew she'd be getting a call from Penelope later that night.

 

 

 

 

 

Spencer excused himself from the hotel room that he was sharing with Morgan and made his way down the hall. He had told Belle to meet him by the ice machine on their floor at midnight, but knowing her, she had probably forgotten. Reid could knock on her door, but then Emily would ask why he needed her at this hour. Even with his genius brain, he couldn't think of a good enough excuse.

Reid sighed, leaning back against the machine. He looked down at the watch on his left wrist which read 12:01 AM. Maybe she didn't forget; she was just running late.

A small figure tiptoeing into the side room where the ice machine was broke him from his thoughts.

"I'm surprised you remembered," Spencer teased, walking over to Belle and engulfing her in a hug. He left a trail of soft kisses from her forehead to her cheek and then back up to her nose. 

"Shut up!" she said in between giggles. She tilted her head up a half an inch so Reid's lips were on hers. He kissed her delicately, not wanting to get too sexual while standing in a public area of the hotel.

Belle seemed to have other ideas in mind.

The romantic kiss soon turned heated as Belle began sucking on his bottom lip. Spencer let out a low moan, trying to contain it as best as he could. This made Belle smirk into his mouth before she furthered the kiss, letting her tongue wander into his mouth. She wrapped her arms around Reid's neck as his hands groped her ass. He gently walked them backwards so that her back was against the machine. He put one hand on either side of her face to keep balance. 

"Babe," she mumbled as she placed open mouthed kisses on his jaw bone. 

"Hmm?" Spencer groaned as her hands started to wander dangerously close to his already-hard member. 

"You almost blew it at the station today," she said as she palmed him through his pants. Reid lowered his hands so they could tangle in her hair.

"I know," he moaned as her thumb started rubbing lazily over his pants. She was torturing him.

"I'll be fine, you know. You don't have to worry," she whispered, looking into his eyes without moving her hand. Reid knew she'd be fine, she was the best agent he'd ever met. But, something deep inside him still felt nervous. It was a feeling he couldn't explain because he'd never felt it before, and he was starting to constantly feel it whenever he was around Belle. Reid had always felt an attraction to her, but this was different. In the past few weeks, there had been a new feeling in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't quite name. Maybe he'd have to have one of his mom's doctors run a few tests on him the next time he visited her.

"I know you'll be fine. I just don't wanna see some creep all over my sexy," he sucked on the skin just below her ear lobe, "amazing," he let his tongue graze against her neck as he made his way further down, "insanely hot," he nipped at her collar bone, "girlfriend," he sucked hard enough that he knew it would leave a mark. He heard a small whimper escape Belle's lips as he licked across the spot where a hickey was already starting to form. 

They were still against the ice machine, so Reid put his hand down and pressed against the bar where you're suppose to put your bucket. The machine made a grinding noise before an ice cube dropped into his hand.

"What are you doing?" Belle panted as he moved her shirt to the side, revealing her bra. He didn't answer, instead pulling the lace fabric down with one hand and putting the ice against her nipple with the other. She sucked in a hard breath as the nub began to harden from the cold contact. Spencer watched as her chest moved up and down with uncontrollable speed.

"Spence," Belle murmured as he bent his head down to reach her chest. He moved the ice cube to the other side, taking the previous nipple in his mouth. He flicked his tongue against her cold skin, earning a loud moan from Belle. Her hands left his crotch and landed in his hair, tugging at the small curls.

Reid loved it when she did that.

He was about to take her shirt off completely when they heard footsteps approaching. Spencer straightened himself out and stood behind Belle in an attempt to hide his erection from whoever was coming their way. Belle fixed her bra and put her shirt back in place before the person turned the corner.

"There you are," Emily said, relieved to have found Belle, who she must have been looking for. Spencer couldn't see Belle's face, but he knew she was blushing.

"I was just on my way back to our room," Belle lied, faking a yawn. 

"Why is your shirt all wet?" Emily asked, getting closer to examine the damp fabric. Belle's hands instinctively flew to her chest to hide the wet spot.

Reid decided this would be the prime opportunity for him to leave.

He scooted past Emily, who was still distracted by Belle's shirt. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Belle's horrified face as Emily tried to move her hands to get a better look. Reid raised an eyebrow at her when she looked up, which caused her to frown. She was definitely going to yell at him later for leaving her at such an awkward time. He stifled a laugh at the thought.

Spencer turned on his heel and walked back down the hall, not wanting to spend another minute with the two of them. Emily was an excellent profiler, and would catch on sooner or later if he didn't leave. He could usually cover up his feelings for Belle during the day because he had work to distract him. But, if Emily spent too much one on one time with them, she'd know right away that they were more than friends. Reid could never keep his eyes off of Belle, and Prentiss would see right through it.

He slid his keycard into the slot and opened the door. Morgan was already in bed asleep, thank god. Spencer wasn't in the mood for his jokes. Plus, he didn't want Morgan to see him in such a frazzled state. The bulge in his pants was still incredibly prominent. 

Reid took his phone out of his pocket and sent a quick goodnight text to Belle before going into the bathroom and locking the door behind him. He stripped down as quietly as he could and took his second cold shower of the day.

 


	13. XIII

_"I know what the world can do to a girl who only sees beauty in it. Like you. Somehow you... You always make me smile. And I don't think I've ever thanked you for that." -Emily Prentiss_

 

 ****One hour.

One hour until the mission was underway and Spencer had to watch a literal serial killer grind up on his girlfriend.

He felt sick.

Reid had spent the entire morning telling Belle it was too risky. She was at least an entire foot shorter than the man she was going up against. No matter how strong she was, this guy was stronger. Spencer didn't understand why Wolfe and Prentiss couldn't go undercover alone. Why did they need Belle, too?

He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the three women to get dressed. They needed to make sure they got noticed, so Penelope had sent an entire wardrobe full of party dresses over to the station. Belle had chosen the smallest, tightest dress possible. It was a matte army green color with straps that crossed and made a pattern in the back. It fell in the middle of her thighs and hugged all of her curves perfectly.

She looked amazing, which made Reid even more nervous.

Belle, Cheyenne, and Emily sat in front of a big mirror that was placed in the room where they had set up the day before. JJ was helping them apply heavy eyeliner and contour their faces and chests. The girls told Morgan and Reid that they needed to give them space, so the two men went to the lobby to make coffee run.

"So, I finally figured it out," Morgan snickered as Spencer stirred 5 sugars into his cup. He looked up at him questioningly.

"What do you mean?" Reid asked before taking a sip of his coffee. The steam from the hot liquid began to fog up his glasses. He took them off and wiped them against his shirt.

"The girl we talked about. I figured out who it is," he replied, taking a sip of his own drink. The steam from Spencer's coffee suddenly felt cold against his heated cheeks.

"W-what? Who?" He stammered, trying to regain his demeanor. Morgan had a big mouth, so him knowing about Belle and Reid wouldn't turn out well.

"It's Wolfe! You're totally into her, that's why you freaked out at Hotch yesterday," Derek taunted, confident in his claim. Spencer let out the breath he had been holding in.

"You're right," he breathed, relieved that Morgan had no clue what was actually going on. Reid would rather have him thinking he had a crush on a random agent than knowing the truth about his relationship.

 

 

 

 

 

Belle clasped her eyelash curler shut as she sat in front of the mirror beside Emily. They were working on the finishing touches of their looks as Hotch attached small microphones to the straps of their dresses. Belle applied a few coats of mascara to her eyelashes to pull everything together. She never wore this much makeup; she doubted anyone did. But, they had to look the part, so she'd have to deal with it for the remainder of the night. She was already dreading attempting to wipe it all off later.

She stood up and extended her arm out to Emily's shoulder in order to balance herself as she put her heels on. Penelope had sent over 5 inch black pumps specifically for Belle because she claimed she needed to 'look taller' in order to get the unsub's attention. Belle stepped back to look at herself in the mirror.

"Wow," she heard a voice announce from behind them. She turned around, almost tripping over herself from the unfamiliar feeling of wearing such high heels.

"Shut up, Morgan," Emily barked as she threw a beauty blender in the direction of the door. It went passed Morgan's face and hit Reid instead. He laughed as the small sponge-like object dropped to the floor.

Belle felt his eyes quickly fall upon her, making her blush instantly. She turned back to face the mirror, pretending not to notice them on her. She could see Reid's gaze raking up and down her body from the reflection over her shoulder.

"Look at your girl," Morgan whispered, nudging Reid in the stomach. Belle glanced over to where they were looking to see Cheyenne emerging from the bathroom. She had a shimmery gold and silver cocktail dress on, topped off with an indigo necklace, which perfectly matched the heels she was wearing. She looked absolutely stunning.

Belle felt a sharp pang of anger in her chest at the realization that Morgan was referring to her as 'Reid's girl' and not her. She tried to hide the embarrassment and hurt on her face as she made her way past the two men and out the door.

She needed air.

Belle walked down the sidewalk just outside of the police station, feeling the winter breeze against her exposed skin. The frigid air helped to calm her down, cooling the heat that was currently rushing through her body. The door squeaked as it reopened behind Belle, causing her to jump. She wasn't in the mood to hear Reid's attempt at an apology right now.

"Belle?" a female voice called out behind her. It was Emily.

"Em," Belle's voice wavered as she walked over to her.

Emily had been her best friend for months now. Belle quickly bonded with her back in September when she arrived at the BAU, taking her under her wing. Em knew what it was like to be the new girl, so she helped Belle as best as she could. They had sleepovers together during the weekends when the other FBI ladies were out with their boyfriends, watching rom-coms together and drinking red wine. They'd text each other during horrible dates to call the other and fake an emergency, or go to Pet Smart together just to look at the kittens on display. She truly was the best girl friend Belle had ever had, and it was killing her to not be able to talk to Emily about her love life.

"I need to tell you something," Belle whispered, deciding not to keep secrets from her anymore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neon oranges, pinks, blues, and greens illuminated the floor, flashing in different squares every few seconds. The walls vibrated from the various beats of club music being ricocheted around the room at high intervals. The bar, located in the far back, was swarmed by young men and women looking to have a good time. Each black leather stool was occupied by the intoxicated body of someone hopeful to find a one night stand. The air was warm from the constant movement of singles on the dance floor, smelling faintly of weed and cherry sour vodka.

Reid sat in a booth across from JJ, purposely positioning himself so he had a perfect view of Belle sitting at the bar. Everything was going to be fine, he kept reminding himself. The tiny earpiece hidden by his hair made a small static noise, indicating that it was turned on. He looked up at JJ, who nodded back to him, nonchalantly.

The mission was officially on.

They sat there for what seemed like hours, when in reality, it was only 20 minutes. Both men and women kept approaching Belle, asking to buy her a drink, but none that fit the profile. Emily and Cheyenne were having no luck as well. Reid heard the bartender, who had been informed of the agent's real identities, ask Belle if she needed anything.

"Something that looks bubbly but has no actual alcohol in it, please," she whispered back to the young woman behind the bar. The bartender smiled at Belle before turning to get a glass. She poured Sprite and Grenadine over ice and mixed it together with a stirring straw.

It looked rather authentic.

Belle thanked her quietly as she went back to her post, sipping casually on the fake drink.

"9 o'clock," JJ kicked Reid lightly under the table. He flinched, scowling at her. She moved her eyes to point in the direction she wanted him to look. He glanced to his left, scratching the back of his head to look as casual as possible.

Spencer immediately recognized the man JJ was talking about. He was an exact replica of the police sketch they had seen back at the station.

The man was tall, taller than Reid, and had long, blonde hair, tied back in a low ponytail. His teeth were almost as yellow as his hair; littered with gaps and holes from the different types of drugs he probably took. His clothes looked as if he'd been wearing them for the past three days, covered in dirt and stains that made it seem like he had been rolling around at a farm recently. He looked like the type of person Spencer wouldn't be caught dead hanging out with.

"Hey sexy lady," the unsub growled, looking up and down Belle's body. Reid saw her physically shudder before plastering a wide smile on her face.

Spencer's hands formed fists under the table.

"Hi there," Belle replied politely.

"What's a girl like you doing all alone?" The man asked, taking a seat next to her at the bar. Belle looked as though she wanted to vomit. To hide her disgust, she simply smiled and took a sip of the red drink she had. The man's eyes flickered to the drink in her hand before falling back onto Belle's chest.

Reid felt like he was going to explode.

"We should move in," he whispered to JJ. This creep was already too close to Belle.

"No!" Belle hissed through the earpiece, making the unsub stare at her as though she was crazy. She was talking to Reid, but the man didn't know that.

JJ kicked Spencer again, a little harder this time.

"Sorry, I just meant oh no, my drink is almost gone," Belle tried to recover. It seemed to work because the man raised his hand up to get the attention of the bartender.

The woman poured the same drink for Belle, taking her time. She looked terrified, as she should. She placed the new drink in front of Belle with a shaky hand, spilling a tiny bit on the counter. She apologized without making eye contact before taking the man's money and hustling away.

"So, do you dance?" the unsub asked Belle, nodding his head in the direction of the dance floor. She glanced over to where he was pointing, spotting Cheyenne in the middle of a group of people.

While Belle's eyes were on the dance floor, the man slipped something into her drink.

Reid shot up from his seat, not wasting another second sitting in that booth. He hurried through the crowd of people, trying to get to Belle as fast as possible. Cheyenne, Emily, and JJ all jumped up behind him, drawing their guns from their holsters. Everywhere Reid turned, a drunk man or woman would bump into him.

"Move!" Spencer shouted loudly over the music. He was now boxed in by a group of dancers, still yards away from the bar.

"Stop! FBI!!" JJ shouted from behind him, pointing her gun towards the bar.

He looked over the crowd of people to see Belle's limp body in the arms of the greasy man. He started to carry her towards the back entrance of the club before a gunshot rang past Reid's ear.

Belle dropped to the floor as pedestrians sprinted towards the front door, frantically trying to get away from the scene that was unraveling. Spencer was drowning in the amount of bodies trying to flee, getting pushed farther and farther away from the bar.

"Belle!!!"


	14. XIV

_"I want more, not in the sense that you aren't enough, but in the sense that you're exactly what I want, as much as I can get." -B.E. Barnes_

 

Spencer's foot tapped at an untimely rate as he sat uncomfortably in the waiting room of a hospital in Quantico. The sound of babies crying and doctors murmuring to patients filled the atmosphere around him, adding to the overwhelming headache he already had. Reid wanted nothing more than to run outside and punch a brick wall, but his internal monologue reminded him that wouldn't be the best idea. He wanted to be there the second Belle was awake and able to have visitors, so destroying his hand would only delay that.

A child working on a puzzle sat on the floor in front of him, quietly placing piece after piece. Focusing his attention on the boy, Spencer guessed he couldn't be older than 6. Physically, he looked young, but due to his impressive puzzle-building skills, he seemed of above average intelligence. The boy reminded Reid of himself at that age: smart, scrawny, and constantly trying to distract himself in a hospital lobby. He wondered if he, too, was waiting for a schizophrenic mother after another episode, just like Reid would have been at that age.

Just as the child was finishing up the puzzle, the door to Belle's room opened, revealing a doctor who was holding her chart. Spencer saw "Belle A. Hopkins" at the top, crossed out in red pen with "bellhop" written off to the side. Morgan must have grabbed it while the doctor wasn't looking. Reid's lips formed a small grin for the first time in hours.

He shot up from his seat and made his way to the doctor. The rest of the team formed a semi circle around the door, trying to sneak peaks into Belle's room.

"She has a mild concussion from the fall and the drugs are still making their way out of her system. She's still asleep, but she's gonna be okay," the doctor announced once everyone had all finally quieted down.

Spencer let out a breath in relief.

Hotch and Rossi walked down the hall with the doctor, pestering him with questions about when Belle would be able to come back to work. Morgan and JJ set off towards the front desk in order to retrieve Belle's personal belongings, leaving Reid and Prentiss still in the door frame.

"Reid," Emily whispered as she put her arm out in front of him, blocking him from entering Belle's room. His eyebrow twitched up as he looked down at her arm, confused by the action.

"Maybe you should wait out here," she continued as he stood there.

"Why?" Spencer asked, not understanding her sudden protectiveness over Belle.

"I don't wanna start shit, but I think you should just leave Belle alone for now...." Emily trailed off, looking down at her feet. Clearly she knew about Belle and Spencer, at least a little bit.

"What did I do?" He whispered back, turning towards her.

"It's more about what you _haven't_ done. I know Belle told you she's okay with keeping your relationship a secret but we both know that's a lie. She wants you to make it public, Spence," Emily said before going into Belle's room and closing the door tightly behind her. Reid stood in front of the locked door, letting his mind race.

He thought Belle was okay with the secrecy. For a genius, he sure felt stupid. Now, not only was his girlfriend roofied and almost abducted, but she was also pissed at him. Maybe that was why she snapped at him over the earpiece at the club. Spencer sat on the floor in front of Belle's door as it dawned on him how much he screwed up.

 

 

 

 

 

The door to Reid's apartment unlocked with difficulty as his hands fumbled to turn the key. At the click of the lock, his fingers forcibly turned the knob and pushed the frame open, allowing the sight of dirty laundry and scattered papers to come into view.

His arm nudged the door shut behind him. He struggled out of his coat, cursing the cold weather to leave him alone. He had too much on his mind to worry about bundling up.

Spencer made his way to the bathroom, stripping out of the nightclub clothes he had been wearing for hours. He turned on the hot water, letting the room fill with steam. He stepped inside the shower, flinching ever so slightly at the burning sensation all over his body as the water hit him.

The burn was better than feeling nothing at all.

After washing his hair and letting himself mope for what felt like an efficient amount of time, Spencer got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his damp torso. He looked in the mirror, seeing an entirely different person staring back at him. His reflection had dark purple bags under the eyes, matched with sunken pupils that could easily belong to a corpse. He looked like shit.

Spencer let out a heavy sigh, making his way back into the living room of his apartment. Getting some work done was the only reasonable thing he could think of to distract himself. Reid opened his messenger bag, digging through the mess of papers inside. A small piece of lined paper with something scribbled in black pen fell onto the floor. He picked it up and read the first line:

 

_"Dear mother,"_

 

It was a letter intended for his mom. He must have never made it around to sending it out to Las Vegas. Reid's eyes wandered down as he continued reading:

 

_"I apologize for any inconveniences this letter may bring upon you. I find it unfair to place expectance of assistance upon an individual with no professionalism within the subject, but I know not where else to turn. To say I've been struggling lately would not suffice to explain my situation. At an untimely rate, I find myself infatuated with the notion of self harm. Not physically; no, as I'm far too afraid to break my own skin in an attempt at an emotional release. If this makes me weak, so be it._

_I constantly lay awake at night, frightened by the multitude of shadows that dance across the walls that surround my bedroom. Since adolescence, my fear of the dark has been prominent. Sleepless nights would out number the mornings when I would awaken feeling refreshed. Recently, however, there's been a difference. In the deadly hours of the night, when my job allows for rest, I sprawl myself among the satin ocean that is my comforter, no longer afraid. The change isn't in the fear of the dark, rather, the fear of death itself. The realization that dying no longer scared me was overwhelming at first. The more I pondered the idea, the more appealing it became. The shadows that once kept me awake now seemed somewhat inviting. It became apparent that my life held less value to me than it previously had._

_The reasoning for these thoughts can only be accurately described as moronic. The ramblings I scribble to you all revolve around one constant. A girl. Not just a girl; a living, breathing, joyful reminder that the world is filled with brightness every so often. She leaves me breathless and red-faced, wondering how one person could so closely resemble a flower. The effect she has on anyone fortunate enough to surround her can be described as nothing short of inspiring. Her laugh, when genuinely plucked from her chest, is the purest velvet. She's a castle and I'm an outhouse._

_So, how, you may ask, could such an enchanting soul bring so much damage to my once flourishing mind? To break it down, you'd have to be aware of the man who owns her heart. The man who has the ability to shatter her to pieces at any given moment. The man, who, though I wish it was, is not me._

_The same way the ocean tide rolls up upon the beach and drags back, taking tiny bits of sand with it each time, she captures parts of me whenever I'm around her. The intelligence that radiates from every sentence she speaks leaves even me taken-aback. I've never been one to believe in soul mates, mainly because it's quite impossible to meet every individual that inhabits our planet; how can hopeless romantics be so certain about their significant other without experiencing the abundance of suitors out there? Maybe I'm just as blinded as them, because she makes me believe in the magic of romance. I'm in love, and it's slowly killing me._

_As Sarah Williams once wrote, I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night._

_Best regards,_

_S. Reid"_

 

He reread the letter three more times before setting it back on his desk. The words of his former self bounced around in his head, reminding him of the first day that Belle had worked in the BAU. To think back to that time, and then to the present, almost gave him whiplash. Reid's heart had ached for her since the very beginning. Never in a million years did he think he would ever end up with someone who was half the woman she was.

But he had, and now he was ruining it. 

Spencer put his shoes back on and started walking back out the door while simultaneously punching in the directions to the hospital into the GPS on his phone.


	15. XV

_"If someday the moon calls you by your name, don't be surprised, because every night I tell her about you" -Shahrazad al-Khalij_

 

Belle's fingers absent-mindedly tapped on the TV remote as she laid her back against an uncomfortable hospital pillow. There was nothing to watch this early in the morning besides shows meant for little kids. Although she secretly liked watching the Disney Channel when she was home alone and couldn't sleep because of a rough case, Belle didn't want to have to explain herself if someone were to walk into her room, so she clicked the power button and turned the TV off.

She grabbed her phone from the bedside table and slid the unlock button. It had been on airplane mode since she had gotten to the hospital because she didn't want to be bothered by calls or texts from the team. She wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.

Belle went to the music app and pressed shuffle, unsure of what she wanted to listen to. Secret Love Song, Pt. II by Little Mix started playing. She scowled at her phone.

 

_"Why can't I hold you in the street? Why can't I kiss you on the dance floor-"_

 

Belle pulled the headphones out of her ears and shut her phone off. That was the last song she needed to be listening to right now.

Everything seemed to be annoying her lately, so she decided that she needed to get some fresh air. Belle carefully propped herself up in her bed and swung her legs over the side. She managed to stand up after a few tries and began to walk towards the empty visitor chair when she felt a tug at her arm followed by a sharp pain. She spun around and noticed the IV needle still sticking inside her inner arm.

"Oh god," she breathed as she squeezed her eyes shut and pinched the IV out of its place. Belle took a tissue from the bedside table and blotted the small amount of blood up.

Her regular work clothes from her go-bag were in a small pile on the chair next to her bed, along with the snow boots she had asked Emily to grab from her apartment earlier that day. Belle shimmied out of her hospital gown and dressed herself in normal clothing. She looked at herself in the reflection of the metal on the door.

She looked like she had been drugged.

That's right, she  _had_ been drugged. But if she was going to make it out of here without getting in trouble, she had to make it look like she hadn't been drugged.

Belle made her way over to the small sink near the bed and splashed some cold water on her face. She pressed her thumb against the skin under her eyes, trying to make the dark purple circles disappear.

It didn't work.

She scanned the room, trying to think of something else to try. Belle opened the purse Emily had brought her. It had a phone charger and sunglasses in it. She slid the glasses over her eyes and headed for the door. It might be strange to wear sunglasses in the middle of winter, but at least doctors wouldn't question it.

 

 

 

 

 

"What do you mean by missing?" An angry Hotch barked at the nurse sitting behind the check in center at the hospital Belle was staying at. Spencer surveyed the scene in front of him. Standing to the right of Hotch was JJ, Rossi, and Morgan, looking panic stricken. To the left of them was Emily, frantically dialing different numbers into her phone and frowning when no one picked up.

"What's going on?" Reid asked as he made his presence known. Rossi shot him a flustered look before turning to Hotch and nodding for him to speak.

"Belle's gone," Hotch finally spoke.

"Gone?" Spencer asked, confused by his lack of detail.

"Gone," Hotch reiterated. 

"What do you mean by gone?" Reid raised his voice. He turned to the others for some type of explanation. "What does he mean by gone?"

"Security footage shows her getting up and walking out of the hospital. And none of these morons decided to stop her," Morgan huffed. The nurse behind the desk looked mortified.

"Sir, we weren't aware that Miss Hopkins had left until aft-"

"You've done enough already," JJ said, silencing her. Reid liked it when JJ got mean.

He put his hands over his face and rubbed his temples. Belle hated hospitals, especially when she was the one being treated, but that doesn't mean she could just get up and leave before she was discharged. Spencer couldn't help but think this was partly his fault.

He wracked his brain trying to think of where she could have gone. He had an idea, so he took his phone out of his pocket and dialed for Garcia. It was a long shot, but it was better than nothing.

"Hello boy wonder," Penelope's cheerful voice sang through the phone. Clearly nobody had told her yet about Belle's whereabouts. 

"Garcia, I need you to search for any pet shops within walking distance of the Quantico hospital," Spencer ordered into the phone. 

"Sure thing, gimme one sec," she chimed as he heard her vigorously typing at her keyboard. "Let's see, how about a Pet Smart two blocks down the street? Sending you the directions now."

"Perfect," Reid hung the phone up and started for the elevator. The rest of the team noticed his movements and followed behind. 

 

 

 

 

 

"I knew she'd be here," Spencer said as he saw the long, brunette locks of hair that he knew belonged to Belle. She was standing with a Pet Smart worker in the section of the store where they keep cats that are up for adoption. She held two orange kittens against her chest.

"You scared us, lil mama," Morgan laughed as they all shuffled into the room. Belle turned around, nearly dropping the kittens. A pink hew took over her cheeks.

"I just wanted to snuggle with them. I was gonna come back," she defended, embarrassed by the attention she had accidentally caused.

"At least you're safe," Emily said as she walked over to Belle and engulfed her in a warm embrace. Reid couldn't help but smile at the fact that she had gone through all this trouble just to see some cats.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw JJ smirking at him. He wiped the stupid grin off his face and mouthed 'what?' to her.

He knew what, though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Not now, Reid," Belle snapped as they made their way to the BAU jet. This was the tenth time he'd asked her to talk in the past few days.

"I miss you," his words stung. Belle knew she'd give in if she made eye contact with him, so she turned to climb the stairs onto the aircraft.

"I'm busy," she replied before boarding the plane. She knew he'd drop it once they were in front of everyone else.

Belle plopped down on one of the couches in the back of the plane. The rest of the team sat around a table and began briefing for the current case they were working on. Belle was allowed to go with the team to the location, but she couldn't go out in the field. Her concussion wasn't fully healed yet, plus, she was still on probation for sneaking out of the hospital the week beforehand.

She tried her best not to scream out when Hotch announced that they were going to Boston. Finally, a case in her home city, and of course she had to sit it out.

"And before you ask, the answer is no, Belle. I can't risk you getting more hurt than you already are," Hotch said before she could even get her complaint in.

"But I'm fine!" Belle whined, knowing she was going to lose this fight. She hated sitting around while everyone else got to catch the bad guys.

"Next time, kid," Rossi tried to ease her disappointment.

She sighed, defeated.

Belle took her laptop out and connected to the fancy FBI airplane wifi. The least she could do is get a head start on the case and compare notes with Penelope, since they'd both be the ones sitting back while everyone else was out risking their lives.

The jet took off shortly after she had taken her computer out. She sat back and reread the files she was given about the case. It seemed like a good one, which made her even more upset.

Before long, the familiar sound of the wheels hitting the runway rattled throughout the cabin. Belle packed her things up and got ready to exit the jet when she dropped her phone. JJ bent down to retrieve it before she could.

"What's this?" JJ asked as she looked down at the phone in her palm. Belle froze as she noticed what she was talking about. She had a picture of Reid kissing her cheek with a funny snapchat filter on as her lock screen background.

"Uh... I-" Belle scrambled for something to say, feeling the heat rise to her face.

"Wanna explain this?" JJ turned to Reid, showing him what they had been looking at.

"Oh, that's, uh... that's, well..." Reid trailed off as his cheeks turned bright red.

Belle felt like she was gonna throw up.

"It's just a stupid picture. I was about to change it anyway," she interjected. The look of hurt on Reid's face as Belle spoke sent a wave of anger throughout her. What did he expect her to say when she wasn't allowed to tell anyone about their relationship?

"Thanks," Belle murmured as she quickly grabbed the phone from JJ's hand and turned to leave the jet. She needed to get out of this place.

She pushed her way past Hotch and Morgan, keeping her head down. She reached up to the overhead cupboards to get her winter coat. Belle wrapped the the light blue fabric around her body and braced herself for the cold. The lights around the plane turned on, indicating that they had stopped moving and it was safe to get off.

"Belle," she heard Reid call after her.

She shrugged it off and kept walking towards the exit.

"Belle!" He raised his voice.

She ignored it again, reaching for the door handle.

"I love you!"


	16. XVI

_"I'm ready to face the truth. I'm ready to let it change me. I'm ready to accept it. I'm ready to let it free me." -Unknown_

 

"You what?" Belle whispered, frozen in place.

Oh, how she'd longed to hear those three words fall off the lips of the tall, goofy, unexplainably adorable genius behind her. She heard him sigh before taking a final step in her direction.

"I love you, Belle, and I don't care if everyone knows anymore. I don't even care if you don't love me back, I just need you to know. I remember the exact moment when I fell in love with you. We got called onto a case on your birthday back in December and you were bitter about it all day, remember? And one of the suspects was giving you attitude, and you told him 'you better act like your hairline and fall back before I put a bullet in your gut.' I'll never forget it. That was when I knew you were the single funniest, bravest, most beautifully talented woman I had ever met in my entire life and I'd be completely insane to ever let you go," Reid gasped as he finally paused for air. "I'm in love with the little things, too. Like the way you insist that your favorite color is rose gold even though that doesn't count, or how you hate that Adalia is your middle name even though it's magnificent just like you. Or how everything about you reminds me of Christmas, or how you sometimes buy capris and they end up going past your ankles cause of how short you are. Or how you stay up late sometimes just watching makeup tutorials on YouTube, or how you always have a fan on in your room, even when it's negative degrees outside. Or how you refer to the team as your "bau-bies", or how you're petrified of needles and made me hold your hand at the doctors when you had blood drawn. Or how when we couldn't sleep one night and we laid in bed planning our hypothetical wedding, you said we'd have it in Las Vegas cause you know how my mother struggles with planes. And you said it like it was no big deal, but it was. To me at least. You're the most caring person, in everything that you do, and I love that about you. I'm so deeply in love with you, Belle."

By now, the entire team had gathered around the two of them to listen to Spencer's rant. Derek was holding his phone up with Penelope on facetime.

Belle looked around at the individual faces of the team, studying their reactions to this sudden outburst. No one seemed to be angry or worried about how this would interfere with their work. They all looked genuinely happy for the two of them; excited, even. 

"Kiss him already!" Rossi finally shouted at her. Belle didn't realize how long she had been standing there with her mouth wide open, unable to get her feet to move.

Reid just stood there with his cheeks burning up and his hair sticking out in different directions. He looked so perfect and vulnerable, Belle almost didn't want to ruin the moment, but she couldn't just leave him hanging. She managed to get her feet working again and ran into his arms, colliding her lips onto his without giving him a chance to react. She hoisted herself up and wrapped her legs around Reid's torso, feeling him smiling into the kiss. 

"I love you more," Belle breathed into his neck, nuzzling her face into him.

She suddenly became aware of how embarrassing all of this was and unhooked her legs from his body. He must have had the same realization as he quickly took a small step away from her and straightened out his shirt. Belle looked down at her feet, biting her lip in an attempt to conceal the smile that desperately wanted to spread across her face.

"This is officially my favorite day ever!" They heard Penelope screech from Derek's phone. 

 

 

 

 

 

"Why do I remind you of Christmas?" Belle asked while gently rubbing her thumb against Spencer's cheek.

"Well, you're a Sagittarius," he began, looking down at her. She smiled, nodding for him to continue.

"And you always smell like peppermint," he added, putting two fingers up as a way to count the various reasons.

"And?" She asked as she lead them into the hotel room they'd be staying at during the case.

"And you always wear fuzzy socks cause you're always cold. Oh, and your name is Belle, like c'mon," Reid said, putting two more fingers up.

Belle's giggle ricocheted across the room, granting Spencer a sense of warmth he hadn't felt in a while. This was their first time sharing a hotel room on a case, and he had to admit, it felt great. It was nice to no longer worry about keeping their relationship a secret.

Reid took a folder out from his messenger bag and fell backwards onto the bed, propping himself up against the headboard. The team was behind on the current case, so they still had work to do. His eyes started skimming the words in front of him, taking his mind to a different place. He was too engulfed in the file in his hands to notice Belle settling down at the edge of the bed. Spencer flipped to the next page in his folder when he felt the buckle of his pants being undone.

"Excuse me?" He said, eyeing Belle from behind his work. She ignored him and continued taking his pants off.

Reid playfully smacked her head, which was making its way down his lower half, with his folder.

"You're excused," she replied, never letting her eyes wander from his happy trail. She lowered her lips until they were on his skin, placing warm, open-mouthed kisses dangerously close to the elastic waist of his boxers.

"What's this for?" Spencer asked, trying to concentrate on the file still in his hands.

"I've missed you," Belle pouted from between his legs. Her delicate fingers started pulling the rest of his clothing off, revealing the skin that had been longing for her touch for weeks.

"Belle," Reid moaned as he felt her mouth around him. She hummed in response, sending him into a larger state of lust. Her tongue swirled around the tip as her hands wrapped themselves around his shaft.

 "Would you be offended if I kept working?" Spencer managed to ask in between gasps of pleasure.

"Fuck you," Belle giggled, grabbing the folder from his hands and throwing it across the room. Reid laughed at her as she tugged her shirt over her head and pushed her body against his, sending them both crashing back against the bed.


	17. XVII

_"If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger." -Emily Bronte_

 

"We should go to a Patriots game while we're here," Belle suggested as she and Reid made their way to the conference room where the team was setting up for the case. Spencer's hand never left hers as he held the door open for her, a simple gesture she was still getting used to. 

"You know how I feel about sporting events," Reid scowled down at her. He lead them to the round table where the others were sitting at. He sat in the only remaining chair and patted his lap to signal for Belle to sit on him.

"But I also know how you feel about me," she teased before leaning down and kissing his nose. Belle sat on his lap and nestled her head against his neck as he wrapped his arms around her in a very polite, professional way.

Even though their relationship was public, Spencer was still shy. 

"I'll think about it," he murmured into her hair. Belle placed a hand on top of his and began drawing patterns lazily with her thumb. His skin was so pale compared to hers, almost like a ghost. She pressed her thumb a little harder into his skin to make sure he wasn't actually an apparition. Belle wouldn't be surprised to wake up any minute now and be told that the last few days had been a dream. Being with Spencer felt like a dream. The kind of dream that you'd wake up from and cry when you realized it was all too good to be true.

Hotch walked into the room and shut the lights off in order to use the projector. The case they'd been working on involved an underground surgical team who had scammed people into thinking they were trained professionals. So far, the team had found a male victim who thought he was just getting his appendix removed but was actually robbed of a lung, a kidney, and a thyroid. Whoever the unsub was clearly had some type of medical background because the incisions they made were pristine and well taken care of.

"We have a new lead. An elderly man in South Boston called in after being approached by a group of women in bloody scrubs on the side walk. He managed to give our sketch artist a vague description of what each woman looked like. Reid and Morgan, I need you to head to Southie immediately," Hotch ordered as they all pulled up the sketches of the unsubs.

"Be careful," Belle whispered as she got up off of Reid's lap. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before heading out the door with Morgan.

 

 

 

 

                                            

It was about noon when JJ, Emily, and Belle decided to order Chinese food for lunch. The other two boys were too engulfed in their work to find time to eat. 

The morning had consisted of endless research on various medical fields offered at universities in the area. It didn't help that Boston was considered the "college town" of America. This meant there were a multitude of people living in Massachusetts with extensive knowledge in medicine. It felt like they were getting further and further away from narrowing in on a profile.

As Belle's boyfriend would say, it was like looking for a needle in a pile of needles. 

"Food's here," Emily announced as she walked back into the room with bundles of take out containers in her hands. Belle got up from her work and put together a plate of rice and chicken teriyaki. The tension in the room was at an all time high because of the lack of progress in the case at hand, so she took her food back to her spot and continued working while eating.

An email from Penelope popped up on the side of Belle's screen. It was titled 'Victim A', so she clicked on it, hoping the pictures of the victim could get her brain in motion. 

Belle scrolled through a series of pictures of the victim laying in a hospital bed. As she scrolled further down, the pictures got more and more graphic. The poor man had massive scars on his body, ranging from his lower abdomen to his neck. The stitching was in tact, but the wounds looked incredibly infected. Probably from having three major surgeries without a break in between, Belle thought to herself.

"Christ," she murmured as she got to the last picture. It was a full body shot of the victim. He looked like road kill.

Belle's eyes scanned up and down his body, trying to find any sort of identifiable mark to crack the case. She focused in on the wound on his neck, which had skin regrowing over the surface of the stitches. As Belle looked at the gory image in front of her, she felt her Chinese food getting harder and harder to swallow. She took another bite of rice to try to soften the swallowing, but it only made it worse.

Belle got up from her seat just in time to sprint over to the trash can and empty her stomach. The rise of bile coming up into her throat and out of her mouth continued four more times before she finally felt herself relax.

"Are you okay, baby?" A voice asked as their arm patted gently on Belle's back.

She weakly looked up at the concerned individual, which was Reid.

"Just feeling off, I'm fine though," Belle choked as she tasted the remnants of Chinese food still on her tongue.

"So I guess the Patriots game is off, then?" Reid said as he helped lift her from the floor. Belle stared at him in confusion, which he caught on to. He dug into his pocket and pulled out two tickets to the football game this weekend.

"Spence!" Belle smiled as she grabbed the tickets from his hand and looked down at them. She had never met anyone before who would willingly do something they hate just to make her happy. 


	18. XVIII

_"She wears strength and darkness equally well, the girl has always been half goddess, half hell." -Nikita Gill_

 

"Stay in the car, Hopkins, I mean it," Hotch barked at Belle as the rest of the team piled out of the SUV. She was adamant about being on the scene when they caught the unsubs, even though she was still concussed and had been throwing up earlier that day. Everyone knew how stubborn Belle could get, so Hotch agreed to let her ride along with the team. She would show up one way or another, so why not make it easy on all of them and just give in?

"Got it boss," she responded, giving him a fake salute. Reid playfully rolled his eyes at her as he closed the car door, leaving her inside. She stuck her tongue out at him before making a shooing gesture with her hands. Spencer turned around and caught up to the rest of the team. 

The Boston police department had already set up a barricade of cars in front of the house where the unsubs were hiding out in. The three women had been in a stand off with the police for a little over an hour now. They had hostages inside, making things tricky for the BAU.

"What's our best option?" Emily asked Hotch as she put her bullet proof vest on. Reid grabbed his own and did the same as he listened in for what to do. 

"These women are highly intelligent. We're not going to be able to trick them into anything," Hotch said, confirming Spencer's previous thoughts about this being a tricky situation. 

"Are you thinking suicide by cop?" Rossi questioned. Hotch looked up at the house and nodded. Spencer sighed, trying to think of a way to get the hostages out before the unsubs started their 'escape' plan.

He looked towards the house, adjusting his eyes to the darkness of the nighttime. It was a two story Victorian with brick siding and two large bay windows. They each had curtains covering them, but Reid could make out two figures inside holding what seemed to be rifles. The terrace surrounding the house was covered in potted plants, all of which seemed to have been forgotten about. The front door had a welcome sign with a dog on it, probably because the unsubs were veterinarians. 

Another cop car pulled up next to the team, containing a man, Garcia, and her set of mobile computers. The police chief had already initiated communication with the women inside the house, but they needed Garcia for reinforcement. If she could hack into their system, she may be able to hear their plan.

"Which one of you is a doctor?" The man from Garcia's car asked as he approached. Spencer looked him up and down, from his business suit to the earpiece he was wearing. He seemed important.

"That would be me," Reid said, raising his hand.

"Well, doctor, we're sending you in," the man said as he looked Spencer up and down in the same way he had done to him. He seemed unimpressed by what he saw in front of him. Nobody could blame him, Reid didn't look old enough to be a doctor.

"No fucking way," he heard Belle's voice from behind them. Spencer spun around to her at the same time the rest of the team did.

"Back in the car, now," Hotch snapped sternly, pointing at the SUV Belle was suppose to be in.

"You're not sending him in there!" Belle hissed, ignoring Hotch. She glared at the professionally dressed man who had asked for Reid.

"The women inside will only listen to someone of the same ranking as them. He's our best shot," the man replied.

This set Belle off even more.

"Why can't you send somebody else and just say they're a doctor?! Reid's not even a medical doctor, for Christ's sake!" She shrieked, waving her hands in the air to demonstrate her frustration. 

"They've already researched all of you, they'd know it was a lie," he responded, trying to calm down the 5 foot 1 woman in front of him. "And I know he's not a medical doctor, but he's all we've got."

"Well that's too bad," Belle said, crossing her arms.

"I'll do it," Spencer piped up. He knew it would upset Belle, but it was his job, after all. If they needed him to go into that house, he would.

"No the fuck you won't," Belle fought back, shooting daggers are him. Reid stared back at her as Hotch ordered Morgan to take her back to the car. She kicked at him as he grabbed her arms and lifted her up.

"Get off of me!" Belle screamed as Morgan tried to stop her from resisting. 

"I'm sorry B," Morgan huffed as she flailed her body around, trying to weaken his grip.

Reid's chest tightened as he noticed the stray tears falling down Belle's cheeks. From his peripheral, he saw JJ step closer to his side. She put an arm around his back in an effort to comfort him. He closed his eyes to fight off the tears that threatened to fall. He sucked in a hard breath and turned around, looking directly at the man who needed him to go into the house.

"What do I have to do?" Spencer asked, focusing on the task at hand. He needed to put all of his attention on the hostages instead of on Belle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anxiety built in the pit of Reid's stomach as he pondered whether or not the sweat dripping down his neck could break the microphone Garcia had attached to the underside of his tie. He figured the FBI would be able to afford waterproof gadgets, which relaxed him a bit. Spencer's hands fumbled with his wallet as he took out the two pictures he had hidden in the change compartment and stuffed them into his shoe. One was of his mother, looking out at the stars from a casino balcony on one of the days that her hospital had let him take her out. The other was a picture he had taken of Belle when she had fallen asleep on her couch with her cat curled up on her chest. He flipped it over, rereading the quote scribbled on the back.

_"We are most alive when we're in love." -John Updike_

He flipped it back over again and studied the image, reminiscing on the impure events that had unfolded shortly after he had taken that picture. Reid smiled to himself as he emptied the rest of his belongings into a bag and prepared himself for what was ahead of him. He couldn't take anything in with him, including a weapon, in order to gain the trust of the unsubs.

Spencer's mind was foggy with thoughts of the way Belle had looked at him moments before she was dragged away by Morgan. He wanted nothing more than to run after her, but he couldn't. He had people depending on him, and no amount of pouting from Belle was going to stop him.

"Whenever you're ready," the police chief signaled to him. Reid gulped, preparing himself for the job ahead.

Spencer's hands slowly rose into the air as he made his way to the front of the house. The door cracked open, just enough for the women inside to witness his presence. After a moment of silence, the door was pushed open further and Reid stepped inside, taking one last glance at the team behind him before pulling the handle shut.

"Doctor Spencer Reid, Behavioral Analysis Unit?" The woman who had let him in questioned.

Spencer surveyed the room they were in. There was a group of teenagers sitting on the floor directly in front of him with their hands tied behind their backs. To the left was a desk, set up to resemble a surgical table. Reid winced as he noticed the numerous blood stains covering it.

"Correct," he responded, still not lowering his hands. He had no idea what these people had in store for him.

"Fix her," the unsub pointed to the corner of the room. Spencer's eyes followed, landing upon a woman curled up in the fetal position. He recognized her as one of the suspects.

"What's wrong with her?" He asked as he shuffled over to where she was laying. He crouched down and put a hand to her forehead, which was burning up.

"She's in labor," another woman, the third unsub, chimed in.

Reid's eyes widened.

"I'm not that kind of doctor," he retorted, standing up frantically.

The first woman took a pistol out of her pocket and pointed it directly at his heart. 

"Now," she commanded, loading the weapon. Spencer took a step back, unsure of what to do. There was no way he could deliver a baby under these circumstances. 

"Help her or I start shooting."  
                                                             

 

  


 

 

 

 

Belle's fist slammed against the window of the car for the fifteenth time in a row, sending a surge of pain throughout her arm.

Fucking bullet proof glass.

"Let me out!!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, knowing Morgan could hear her. She was fully aware that she was being ignored. Not only had Morgan locked her in the car, but he had also handcuffed her to the seat.

Belle sighed heavily, leaning back against the leather seats. Pieces of hair from the French braid she had been wearing all day fell across her face, itching her nose. She pushed them back behind her ears and dug into her pocket for a bobby pin.

"That's it!" Belle whispered to herself, sitting back up straight. She put the bobby pin in between her teeth and yanked on one side, bending it into a long stick. It was perfect for picking locks.

She stuck the bobby pin into the little lock that was digging into the side of her wrist. She wiggled it around until she heard a small pop and the handcuffs fell from her wrists and onto the floor with a clank.

"Hell yeah," Belle murmured as she rubbed the raw skin where the handcuffs had dug into her. She bent the bobby pin back into shape and slid it into her hair to keep the stray pieces at bay when she heard a gun shot.

She froze.

"LET ME THE FUCK OUT, MORGAN," Belle's fists banged harder against the window. She panicked as she heard more gun shots, followed by multiple blood curdling screams. Belle watched in horror as the SWAT team rushed into the house and started pulling bodies out.


	19. XIX

_"You should've seen the way he was looking at you while you were out." I smiled a little. "How?" "Like you're the ocean and he's desperate to drown." -Michelle Hodkin_

 

Everything felt like it was in slow motion as Belle sat helplessly in the back of the police car. People were barking orders and running past, screaming the names of their loved ones.

In a daze, Belle put her hand up against the glass, thinking about how many of her friends were out there in the line of fire. It felt as if her brain couldn't comprehend all that was happening and it was going to explode any minute. Her eyes started feeling heavier and heavier, begging her to close them. As they rolled back, her head toppled sideways, smacking into the seat in front of her. She didn't know if she was awake or asleep anymore. 

The sound of the door opening jolted Belle out of her state of fog. She sprang at the sign of freedom from this stupid fucking car.

"Did you just pass out?" Morgan asked worriedly as she jumped out of the car and straightened herself out.

"No," Belle lied, unzipping the FBI jacket she had on. She threw it into Morgan's chest before taking off, not giving him the opportunity to put her back in the car.

She sprinted straight for the house, ignoring the shouts she earned from officers telling her she wasn't allowed any further. Belle hurdled the yellow police tape that was surrounding the perimeter of the house and continued running past the EMT's who were working on the non-crucial victims. She got to the front door of the house and paused, unsure of what she was about to see.

There was a very good chance that the love of her life was dead on the other side of that door.

"Spence?" Belle called out as she walked inside. She stepped over the body of a teenage girl, making sure not to slip in the puddle of blood coming from her neck. The bile in Belle's stomach began to rise in her throat from the hauntingly grotesque scene in front of her. She closed her eyes, managing to relax herself enough to swallow it back down. Now was not the time for getting sick.

She needed to find Reid.

A body in the corner of the room caught Belle's eye. The person was laying face down, but she could tell that it was definitely a male, and their hair looked incredibly familiar. Her chest tightened at the thought of it being Reid.

"Spence!" She cried out as she dashed over to the body. She crouched down next to it, putting her fingers to their neck to feel for a pulse.

Nothing.

"No!" Belle screamed as she tried to turn them over. Her hands kept slipping on the warm blood still trickling out from the wounds covering their body. She took a deep breath in and used all the strength left in her to flip them over onto their back. She took her shirt off and wiped the blood off of their face.

It wasn't Spencer.

A rush of relief followed by anguish filled Belle's insides. If this wasn't him, then where was he? She placed her hand carefully over the victims eyes and closed them shut for him. She took one last glance at his lifeless face and got back up on her feet.

Belle couldn't find it in her to care that she was now only wearing a bra on her upper half. Taking a moment to survey the room, she noticed Hotch and Emily with their backs turned to her. She ran over to them, doing her best to avoid the bodies still splayed out on the floor.

"You have to let him go," Emily said as Belle reached her. She was talking to someone who was sitting in a chair in front of her, holding something in their arms.

"He was gone before you even got there, Reid. There was nothing you could do," Hotch said to the person sitting in the chair.

Belle looked down at the object in his arms. It was the tiniest baby she'd ever seen.

"But, it's my fault..." Spencer trailed off as he looked down at the infant. Belle could tell right away that the baby wasn't breathing.

"It's no one's fault," Emily said, holding her arms out for the baby. Reid looked up at her and then to Belle. She nodded reassuringly, willing him to give it to her. He looked down at the baby once more before gently placing him in Emily's outstretched arms. She turned to Belle, giving her a knowing look, before walking to the door.

Belle half expected Hotch to lecture her for disobeying orders, but, to her surprise, he followed Emily outside without a word.

"Spence," Belle murmured, unsure of how to approach him. 

"All these people are dead... because of me," he whispered, staring down at his blood-stained hands.

"That's not true and you know it," she responded, kneeling down in front of his chair. She placed her hands on the sides of his face, forcing him to look at her. His eyes were sunken with guilt and fear.

"I love you," Belle whispered when she didn't get a response. He closed his eyes, leaning his cheek into the palm of her hand. She positioned herself so that she could be closer, not caring how long he needed her to stay there for.

"And I love you," he breathed, allowing himself to relax under Belle's touch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"You need to get checked out," Belle muttered as she stood up in front of Reid.

She put her hands out to help him up, which he quickly grabbed. She pulled him up and waited for him to steady himself before intertwining her fingers with his and leading him out the door. They walked over to one of the ambulances on scene and waited for one of the EMT's to help out.

"I'm fine," Spencer whined as Belle gently pushed him back so he was sitting on the edge of the back of the ambulance. She couldn't tell if it was his blood or someone else's covering his shirt.

Belle cupped his chin with her hand and tilted his head up to get a better look at his neck. There was a slight gash across his Adam's Apple. It looked like something had grazed his skin, maybe a bullet.

"You're not," she murmured, running her fingers over the scrape on his neck. He flinched at the sensation, indicating that it was worse than she had thought. Her hands dropped to her side.

The smell of blood radiating off of Spencer brought another wave of nausea rushing back into Belle. Reid seemed to notice, as he put his hand out to lightly touch hers. She gave him a small smile, trying to reassure him that she was fine.

He was just in a shooting, after all. She needed to be the strong one tonight.

"That's a nasty cut," a female voice said from behind them. Belle turned to face her, never letting go of Reid's hand.

"It's not that bad," Spencer responded to the EMT as she took out a flashlight to get a closer look. The light shined on his raw skin, making Belle's stomach hurt more. She focused on Reid's hand in hers to try and distract herself from the nausea.

She gave his knuckles a light squeeze, which earned her a grin from him.

The EMT took out a cotton pad and poured some type of saline solution on it. She told Reid it might sting a little right before she put it directly on the open wound. Belle felt him tense up beside her from the pain, not that he would admit it.

After the EMT cleaned out the gash, she went to go get a bandage large enough to cover it.

"Are you okay?" Reid asked as they waited for the woman to come back. Belle looked up at him, confused by his sudden question.

"Yeah?" She responded.

"You look awful," he said, not sparing her feelings. Belle furrowed her eyebrows at him just as the EMT came back.

She put the bandage over his wound and used medical tape to fasten it. It quickly soaked up the blood and turned from a white to a maroon color, sending Belle over the edge.

She covered her mouth with the back of her hand, trying to choke down the vomit she knew was coming. The nausea was overbearing to the point that it was making her dizzy. Belle shut her eyes and put her hands on her temples in an attempt to ease the pain.

The next thing she knew, everything was dark and she was on the pavement.


	20. XX

_"When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew." -William Shakespeare_

 

 ****The faint smell of anesthetics filled Belle's nostrils as she regained consciousness. That, along with the cool breeze from an air conditioner, let her know that she was most likely in the Massachusetts General Hospital. Her eyelashes tickled her skin as they fluttered open, revealing the poorly decorated walls of a hospital room.

Belle sat up in the bed she was in and looked down at her arm to see another stupid IV needle. She reached down and took the tape that was holding it in place off. Just as she was about to pull the needle out, a hand stopped her. She grimaced as she looked up at Reid. He knew how she felt about needles. 

"Keep it in," Spencer spoke softly as he let go of her hand. Belle debated whether to oblige, checking his face for a sign of sarcasm.

He looked worried, which worried her.

"I probably just passed out from delayed concussion symptoms. I'm fine," Belle positioned herself so she was sitting with her legs criss-crossed.

Reid didn't look very convinced. He looked down at his phone on his lap, which caught Belle's attention. She tried to make out what was on the screen. It was a text message from someone, listing off what seemed like directions to the hospital.

"Did you tell the team about what happened?!" Belle asked, her voice louder than she intended.

"Of course I did," Spencer responded nonchalantly.

He tossed his phone to Belle, urging her to look at the message thread. It was the whole team ranting about how worried they were. 

"I'm literally fine," she pouted, giving the phone back to Reid.

It's not like it was uncommon to experience nausea or dizziness after you had a concussion. Everyone needed to relax a bit, in Belle's opinion.

"She's right, she is fine," a nurse announced as she made her way into the room, closing the door behind her.

Belle gave Reid a look in order to say 'I told you so'. He sighed, putting his hand on her thigh before turning his attention to the nurse.

"And so is the baby," she said, so casually that they both almost missed it.

"The what?" Belle asked, needing the nurse to repeat herself. 

"Your baby is completely healthy, Miss Hopkins," the nurse said with a smile as she handed her a chart. Belle looked down at it, unsure if this was a prank or not. The word 'expecting' next to her name and medical history stood out.

"But... I'm not... Pregnant?" It came out as more of a question than a statement.

Belle looked down at her stomach, which seemed to be the size it normally was. How could there be a little person in there without them knowing?

She glanced over to Reid, who was sitting motionless, his eyes glued to the chart in her hands. Belle stared at him for a minute to make sure he was still breathing.

"You sure are. I hope this is good news..." The nurse trailed off as she looked at Spencer.

Belle didn't even notice the relief she felt when the nurse took the IV out of her arm and set down her clothes on the end of the bed. The nurse smiled at her before going back out the door and closing it.

Belle looked down at the hospital gown she was in. She peeled it over her head and looked at her bare stomach. She gently placed her hand just above her naval, trying to feel for something. It was probably way too early for her to show, anyway.

She looked at her belly button ring, dreading the thought of it tearing as her stomach expanded from the pregnancy. Belle stood up and reached for her jeans, slowly putting one leg at a time through the foot holes. Her hands made quick work of her button up blouse as she looked over to Reid who was still frozen in place.

She walked over to the chair he was sitting in, still not gaining his attention.

"Stop going all Edward-Cullen-in-Breaking-Dawn on me," Belle said, waving her hand in front of his face.

Reid looked up at her and then back down at the chart, making Belle nervous.

What if he didn't want to have a baby with her? 

"Spence," she whispered, cupping his chin with her hand. She tilted his head up so that he was looking at her again. His pupils were slightly dilated, sending her into a larger state of fear.

"We're... having a baby..." He finally spoke.

Belle stared into his eyes before nodding slowly.

"Me and you..... we..... are having a baby....." He trailed off again.

"Is that okay...?" Belle asked, tilting her head to the side.

"That's more than okay," the ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of Spencer's lips.

The breath Belle didn't know she had been holding finally escaped her lungs.

Reid pushed her back lightly to make room for him to stand up. Once on his feet, he bent down and grabbed her waist, hoisting her into the air. Belle couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face as he twirled her around. It was probably not a good idea to be doing this, what with a bun now in the oven, but she didn't care. Belle was having Spencer Reid's baby and nothing in the world could make her happier. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"We're not suppose to tell people until after 3 months, right? I read somewhere that expecting parents should keep things private in the event of a loss, and that we'll want to keep the news under wraps until that drops dramatically, which happens at the end of the first trimester, which is around 10 to 12 weeks," Reid rambled on as the two made their way into the hospital lobby, hand in hand. 

"Is anyone on the team super religious? You know, the whole baby-out-of-wedlock thing could bother them," Belle thought out loud as they walked through the hallway and onto the elevator. 

"I don't think so," Reid answered as he pushed the button for the ground level. "I'm sure your mom would be thrilled if she were around today," he added as they waited for the doors to close. Reid knew all about how Belle's late mother had been a teen mom when she had her. 

"I wish she could have met you," Belle said, giving his hand a small squeeze.

Her mom would have loved Spencer just as much as she did.

"What about your father?" Reid asked, looking down at her through his disheveled hair.  

"What about him?" Belle asked, stepping back to look up at him.

Reid knew how she felt about her dad.

"Do you think he'll care?" He asked, trying not to step over any boundaries. 

"Hmm, let's see. A deadbeat dad who had so many kids with so many women that he lost count. I doubt he'd be one to place judgement on our bastard baby," Belle spat as she put her unoccupied hand on her belly. Reid decided to drop it by simply nodding in agreement as the elevator doors opened.

As they walked to Spencer's car, Belle decided it would be wise to call the team and let them know she was fine and that they didn't need to come to the hospital. She pulled out her phone and dialed Garcia's number as she climbed into the passenger seat. Belle knew Penelope would be able to get word out faster than she could.

"You've reached the insanely wonderful and talented Garcia!" Her voice rang through the phone as Reid put the car in drive.

"It's me," Belle said, knowing she'd recognize her voice.

"Shh, guys, it's Belle!" She heard Penelope shush whoever else was in the room with her. Belle giggled as she heard a few yelps of delight. "What's up girl?! Are you okay???" 

"I'm fine," Belle paused, looking over at the drivers seat. "It was just side effects from the concussion," she lied, smiling at Reid.

He smiled back, taking one hand off the steering wheel and placing it on her knee.

"You had us worried, Taco Bell! While I have you, the team and I wanna celebrate the ending of this dreadful case. Tomorrow night at Rossi's, let slender man know, okay?" Penelope said as Belle chuckled at the nickname she used for Reid.

"Got it," she said before she hung up the phone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spencer and Belle pulled up to Rossi's house at 8:15 PM, preparing themselves for the scolding they were about to get for being late.

In their defense, Belle had been dressed and ready to go until she vomited all over herself and had to change. She only cried for about 5 minutes before Reid got her into a new dress and into the car. He was impressed that they were _only_ 15 minutes late after that fiasco. 

Reid rang the doorbell as the two stood at the front door. He looked down at Belle, who looked absolutely breathtaking.

He had to keep reminding himself that she was, in fact, his girlfriend.

And now, his baby mama.

"You're late!" Rossi cheerfully greeted them. He gave Belle a quick kiss on the cheek and a hug before turning to Spencer and shaking his hand.

They both apologized over and over again for being late, blaming it on the traffic. Everyone had already arrived, including Henry and Jack. Reid watched from the kitchen as Belle lit up when she saw the two children. They ran over to her and wrapped themselves around both of her legs, making her unable to move. Her long hair bounced as her laugh radiated throughout her entire body. The ease she had with the two boys sparked a warm feeling inside Spencer.

She was going to be the best mom ever.

"So shall we start tonight off with a toast?" Hotch asked as he handed Reid a glass of champagne. The rest of the adults gathered in the kitchen where drinks were being passed around.

Spencer watched as JJ handed a glass to Belle, who set it back down on the table.

"I'm only 20, remember," she said when JJ looked at her questioningly.

"When has that ever stopped you before?" JJ laughed as she picked the glass back up and shoved it into Belle's hand. Belle looked up at Reid, trying to catch his attention. He stared back at her, not knowing what to do. He was fresh out of excuses.

"I can't," she said as she placed the glass back down once more. Hotch, who had been waiting for everyone to have a drink so he could begin his toast, furrowed his brow in confusion. 

"Really, Belle, it's fine. No one's gonna tell..." Morgan chimed in, confused by the sudden innocence Belle was portraying. 

"No really, I can't," Belle reiterated.

She looked at Spencer, let out a sigh, and spoke again.

"I can't because I'm pregnant."

"I thought we were waiting!" Reid said jokingly, surprised by Belle's sudden outburst.

He raised his eyebrows at Belle, feeling his face turning the same shade of pink that hers already was.

"I panicked!" She laughed, shrugging at him.

Everyone else in the room stared at the two of them, jaws dropped. Spencer bit his lip, waiting for someone to say something. 

"I thought Pretty Boy was still a virgin," Morgan finally broke the silence.

Reid couldn't help but laugh along with everyone else as Morgan walked over to him and fake-punched his chest. All the women engulfed Belle in a group hug, yelling their congratulations over the noise of the party. Spencer caught Belle's eye for a split second, seeing the overwhelming joy in it. He smiled as he thought about the big family their baby was going to have. 

 


End file.
